Nextbike

RFID tags from smart-TEC ensure smooth bike rental and returns process 

Since the start of summer 2016, 1200 rental bicycles have been available at bus, train and underground stops/stations and other central locations in and around Munich, all supplied by MVG, the Munich transport company, which sources the bikes from Nextbike in Leipzig. Forty-five German towns and cities now use this smart system, with more than 30,000 bicycles from Nextbike currently in circulation around the world.

To use Nextbikes, you simply have to register once, then use your smartphone to look for, reserve and book bikes.

RFID tags from smart-TEC, the RFID and NFC specialists at the RATHGEBER Group, are central to the process of identifying the individual bicycles that are borrowed and returned. The shock-resistant and weather-proof transponders are integrated flush with the bicycle’s fork and communicate with their respective station, which means the system knows where each bicycle is and whether it is available.