“We attended Start-up School in the Republic of Moldova, where we spent two months working on different ideas that were constantly changing along the way,” recalls Daniel Trohin, co-founder of the bike-sharing company Renter. “Our mentor and I were discussing transportation for food delivery couriers. He had been to the Netherlands and told us about bicycles, a well-developed industry there. We decided to see how the market would react to our idea. We went to McDonald’s in Chisinau, talked to several couriers and told them that we had bikes for rent. Soon they called and asked if we could rent out bikes. But at that point, we had absolutely nothing.”
In 2022, the startup received initial funding — a grant of €5,000 and €6,000 in investment (from the father of one of the project’s co-founders) — and purchased the first six bikes for courier services in Chisinau.
Then, in December 2022, they also received a grant from the Organization for Development of Entrepreneurship (ODA), which they used to buy 11 more electric bikes in March 2023.
“We started analyzing the markets of Moldova and Romania. We came to the conclusion that the neighboring country has many advantages and the business can be more profitable. We decided to use the investment to expand our activities beyond the Prut,” continues Daniel Trohin. “Couriers who work by car lose 50% of their income on fuel and car maintenance, as well as time in traffic jams and pollute the environment. We offered an eco-friendly alternative.”
By the end of 2023, Renter SRL had 6 rental bikes in Chisinau and 16 in Bucharest. They took part in the GCIP Moldova 2023 competition, organized by the Energy Efficiency Agency, in the “Ecological Transport” category, and received a $10,000 prize, which they immediately invested in business development.
In early 2024, Renter moved to Romania, where it opened an office and purchased 90 bikes, and by the end of the year, it had increased their number to 150. In Chisinau, the company has 28 electric bikes for rent.
The company rents out electric bikes to both legal entities and individuals. The general price for a company renting 5+ bikes (in Romania) is 200 RON per week (778 MDL). The rent includes two batteries, a bike, and almost all maintenance. For individuals, Renter offers a more expensive package, since such deals involve more processes and risks: 290 RON (1130 MDL) with two batteries or 245 RON (950 MDL) with one battery.
In Chisinau, the prices are much lower: renting an electric bike will cost 2660 RON per month (95 lei/day). If you rent it for a day – 300 lei. With an additional battery – plus 20 lei per day.
The goal of the Renter team is ambitious: to reach an income of one million euros per year. It has set itself the task of increasing the fleet to 500 rented bicycles, which will require funding of 500,000 euros.
However, it is impossible not to notice that at the initial stage, Renter replaced the Dutch model, which initially provided for the rental of regular bicycles. They are cheaper, easier to maintain, do not require charging with electricity, and, therefore, are more environmentally friendly. And, most importantly, much healthier.
Perhaps, in the conditions of the difficult terrain of Chisinau, electric bicycles are more justified for commercial use – couriers get tired less. But one cannot ignore the question: why did the rentals of regular bicycles disappear, which 10-15 years ago were in every park in the capital?
As it turned out, there is only one company left in Chisinau for the rental of regular bicycles – Velomania. An hourly rental costs 80 lei, two hours 150 lei, a full day 320 lei, and a day 400 lei. The kit includes a helmet, bike lock, bag, and flashlight. Recently, the company has also started renting electric bicycles, which are only available for a month for 4,000 lei or for two months for 7,200 lei. The rental point is located near Lake Valea Morilor, the only park with bike paths.
The administrator of one of the bike shop chains, on condition of anonymity, said that they had considered options for creating a rental service for regular bicycles, but in the current conditions they did not see any prospects for this business.
“In the Netherlands, they rent out junk for 5 euros per day. In Chisinau, this option will not work. Expenses (depreciation, maintenance, repairs, salaries, etc.) are, according to our calculations, 1 lei/km for an inexpensive bicycle and 2 lei for an expensive one. Hourly rental, in conditions when only children under 16 are allowed to ride in Chisinau parks, is not an option. Therefore, due to the current economic conditions, this type of activity has practically ceased. If the capital’s mayor’s office can find economic incentives, we will gladly engage in such a business,” the entrepreneur said.
