Donkey Republic Reviews

by Allicenodrink

Generally a nice service, but the application is absolutely horrific in its geolocation and ability to detect where you parked your bike -charging you a fee each time. I ended up spending an additional 10min each time just trying to park the bikes at the end of each rental and lock them up.

I have no idea what mapping API they are using, but the application consistently complains of the parking placement of a bike even if you are standing in the correct location cross referenced with either Google maps or Apple Maps (which is insane because they are probably built on top of one of those). I parked two bikes physically next to each other and was charged a $5 moving fee for one of them but not the other -which would again indicates questionable reliability of DonkeyRepublic .

Again, nice in principle, but no way to dispute fees that are incorrect.

by Missler

DO NOT USE DONKEY BIKE, your return may not register and you may continue to be charged.

I used this bike for 30 minutes yesterday. Arrived at my destination, locked it, received confirmation via app that the ride ended. My colleague parked their own donkey bike at the same location, locked and received the same confirmation. They’ve had no problems, I’ve had nothing but.

Today I received multiple notifications and a text that my 30 minute rental was still active and being charged €30+(!!). I’ve sent multiple messages through DonkeyRepublic and replied to their text, no response. I did however receive an automated notice that my card would be charged €180 if the bike wasn’t found.

I actually stopped several people on the street today who were about to unlock their own donkey bikes. I told them about the nightmare issues I’ve had and pointed them toward the nearby MVG bikes instead. No ripoff return issues and they have 8 speed hubs vs the 3 speed hubs on donkey bike. I’ll keep doing that and I’ll also refuse the CC charges from donkey bike until this issue is resolved. I guess the very low rating is no surprise, I should have checked before renting.

DonkeyRepublic needs serious improvements. Good luck with retaining users enough to fund those..

by Tlamb23468

I had some serious issues with this bike program. My sister and I were planning on using two of these bikes today, but when we got to the location that said there were two bikes only one was there. So I cancelled one of the bikes and opened the other so we could try and go look for one more bike somewhere else. But for some reason it said on both of our phones that we were using one bike so when we finally found another bike to use we couldn’t unlock it because it said we both were already using the one bike. So I ended up just ending the bike session that we were using (the one bike it said we were both using), but I still got charged like I used it for a full day. I think this is a huge rip off and your company had a lot of issues that it needs to work out.

by Thom.wingate

GF and I rented two bikes yesterday, our first time using their service (we often use many similar services back home like Bird, Lime etc.)

Every thing was fine except that when my gf locked her bike she forgot to “end rental.”

Now we are in Barcelona, leaving tomorrow morning and do not know where we left the locked bike with the rental still active. DonkeyRepublic won’t even show us where I left my bike (next to hers) or where her current rental is! It won’t let us end the rental remotely even though the bike is locked. Very poorly designed system.

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. App is terrible, not user friendly and if you make a minor mistake be prepared to be out €180.

by Milly.ok

Me and my son both rented the bikes in Berlin and when we finished riding after around 30 minutes, we locked it and left.
Day after, when we’ve already left Berlin, I recived sms “are you still using the bike”? It appeared that I was “using” the bike more then one day because app didn’t register that I lockef the bike. Also, got the warning that I will be charged with 10 eur because I left bikes unlocked and if they don’t find them on location they will charge me for 180 Eur! This is outrageous. How can I be sure that this is true what they say? I locked bikes and it was ok, they can now say the bikes are not on location and charge me, I cannot prove anything, I’m thousands kilometers away. Don’t use DonkeyRepublic, there are many more other, even Uber for bike rental in Berlin.

EDIT: After 2 e-mails, I got kind response from customer support that they will end the rental and that they will refund the money for the time I didn’t use it. Yes, extra money is back on my account, but I was still charged 15eur per bike for only 30 minutes ride. So definitely I cannot recommend DonkeyRepublic because is way to expensive and glitched.

EDIT no.2: DON’T USE!!!

This is absolute theft!!!
3 months after I used bikes for only 30 minutes, they still charge me every month for 15 eur!!!
This is outrageous and criminal!!
Are you guys real??

by Bill 27368

They charged my credit card without my permission then completely ignored six emails I sent to customer service. They responded to my first email and told me it was for a relocation fee, which is impossible because I hadn’t used a bike in 8 weeks. I responded but they completely ignored my six follow up emails.

You’ve been warned - don’t use this service unless you want mystery credit card charges from a company who has zero customer service.

by Steven16502

I used DonkeyRepublic in Berlin and when we began DonkeyRepublic actually seemed to work well well. We got the bikes because they were slightly cheaper than the others. Once we actually began to bike, we realized that DonkeyRepublic was very poorly designed and near impossible to use. The locking function has to be used several times before actually working.

Somehow, getting rid of the bikes was even worse than locking them. It took us over half an hour to get rid of four bikes, and this was compounded because some of the bikes had to be taken to a separate drop off site. DonkeyRepublic also tried directing me to a singular drop off site (3 miles away) instead of the dozens directly around. I tried this on several phones, and even reinstalling DonkeyRepublic but the problem continued. Very faulty app and not worth saying .5 euros over a day. Just use jump bikes.

by John T. In Madrid

If you are lucky enough to get a good bike or two on the first try, I’m sure it’s a great app. The problems arise when you get a bike with low tire air pressure or some other problem and need to change it. After walking over to find a replacement bike, DonkeyRepublic didn’t allow me to switch them because it never acknowledged the existence of the replacement bike. Also, DonkeyRepublic does not allow you to add new rental bikes after your initial reservation, which presents problems for a family of four or more, for example, if you can’t find enough bikes in one spot.

by Bennnn364

To be frank, it was a bit difficult for my mother and I to find two bikes in the same place that we could both connect to (as the ones parked were connected to other phones and taken). We were getting quite annoyed and were about to conclusively assign a 1 star rating when it finally began to work...and then, Donkey Republic began to shine.

When you finally get your bike, this becomes a fantastic and simple (and for Copenhagen, moderately cheap) app that allows you to discover a city in a unique way.

I would recommend to developers a way to streamline the process of finding a bike and making it easier. If the McDonalds near my location says there are 5 bikes, it would be lovely if there actually were the 5 bikes DonkeyRepublic states, and not 4 bikes that are taken and 1 free to use (especially considering we were 2).

Overall, a special and good app.

by MetricMeg

We genuinely found DonkeyRepublic easy to use , the bikes were easy to find and were in decent condition once we found them .

We are a family of 4 and we needed 4 bikes . There is a big limitation in DonkeyRepublic in that you can’t easily add bikes to your current rental as you find them . The reality is that the bikes are not all in the same place. You have to go find them .. which is fine .. but when you do it’s a mission to get it and the price penalty of unrenting and re-renting is high .

by Roger Valencia

Since I start using Donkey Republic my commuting problem stop. I always find bikes when I need it. Something that need to be improved is the localization of locks because there are some delay when I need to finish the rent

by Xtwo4

My wife and I were in Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago and wanted to go for a ride, so we downloaded DonkeyRepublic and walked over to an area where there appeared to be lots of bikes. We found 2 bikes and unlocked them within a few minutes. We spent a couple of hours riding around the city and then dropped the bikes off near our hotel. It was really easy and I would recommend this service to anyone. I will definitely use it again. Thanks, Chris from Toronto.

by ACH0103

DonkeyRepublic was very useful, being able to lock and unlock the bike straight from DonkeyRepublic . There are a ton of return locations, so it is very convenient. We rented for a full day and it is not much more expensive than a bike shop. The convenience is worth it

by Stevey -D

We have used Donkey Republic a few times now and we have never been disappointed. The bikes are in good condition and DonkeyRepublic makes it super easy to pick up and drop off them off. Forget busses and Uber, this is how you should experience a city 👌

by Ninelized

Once you have problems, they immediately solve! Thanks.

by GeekiestDude

I used DB in Munich a few days and it was cheap and efficient. I did run into some complications when I parked the bike incorrectly before I left but the DB support team got everything resolved quickly and painlessly:) thanks, I will be using again

by Amhpkpslajhb

Almost passed on DonkeyRepublic after seeing the rating. I’m glad I tried it anyway.

App worked flawlessly, easy to use, bike worked great, pickup was nearby, drop off was exactly where I needed it. Cheapest bike rental option in Copenhagen and super convenient if you’re sightseeing in the city or just have a lot of places to go. Love it.

by OMinge

Had a great experience using the bike and DonkeyRepublic . I did have an occasional shift issue with a first bike, but was able to report the issue and switch for a new bike easily. Bikes are very nice and ride beautifully. App was easy to use. I checked my bike in and out more than a dozen times over almost 5 days. Didn’t want to part with it, but holiday was over!

by MokumReviewer

Not sure what the negative reviews are complaining about. We had no issues with DonkeyRepublic or system at all. Great to have a bike for your whole trip and park it like it’s your own wherever you want without the need for a docking station. App is intuitive and pairs easily with the locks. Whole experience was seamless and exactly what you’d want. The phone holder is a great touch.

by DJParce

As a user experience professional, this is hands down the best bike share program experience I have ever had compared to Boston’s, NYC & San Fran’s.

Here’s why I recommend Donkey:

1. They had bikes literally everywhere in Paris.
2. It costs 12 euros to rent for the whole day!
3. It was easy to park and lock with my IOS app.
4. Paris’s own bike share program forces you to deposit 300 euros before you can ride their 30m/1hr limit bikes.
5. The bikes have a holder for your phone so you can easily navigate with your GPS.
6. The bikes have two racks so you can carry items you have purchased.