TOP STORIES 🔥

 😬 Panek at the disco

Panek, the Polish car rental company, suspended its sharing operations in March 2025. The company added sharing to its core business in 2017, and had been operating in several markets in Poland for the last 8 years, as well as in Austria, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia. The acquisition of Regional Rent in September 2023, increasing its fleet size by ~45%, making it Poland’s largest integrated car rental/car-sharing operator.

This post breaks down Panek’s 2024 financials, and gives an insight into why it failed. Here are the key points:

• Car sharing made up just ~20% of total revenue

• Maintenance costs were as high as €690/car/month

• Utilization was low: ~0.7–1.0 rides per car/day

 🚗 How car sharing is faring in Europe

Despite the hardships faced by Panek, The free-floating car sharing market in Europe experienced modest growth in 2024, with fleets increasing by 2% and ridership rising by 5%. For the first time, the total number of free-floating cars surpassed station-based fleets.

However, the market faced challenges in other regions. Zity withdrew from Paris in January, then Lyon in April, signalling the end of their French operations. Greenmobility announced the closure of its services in Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands. Despite these setbacks, the market saw significant expansion in other areas. Bolt Drive launched a fleet of 5,000 cars across Poland, demonstrating continued investor confidence in the potential of free-floating car sharing in new markets.

In 2025, we expect to see the fleet sizes remain stable, but for ridership to further increase as cities warm to car sharing and promote its benefits to reduce car ownership.

LAUNCHES & EXPANSIONS 🚀

Courmayeur e-Bike Sharing
Launch in Courmayeur (IT) 🚲 (15+15)

Free2move
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CITY UPDATES 🌐

Amsterdam (NL) | Amsterdam abandons city-wide rollout of shared bicycles.

Erlangen (DE) | Large no-parking zone for scooters to be introduced.

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INDUSTRY NEWS 🗞️

EcoVélo reaches the landmark of 30 cities served in France.

Lime’s new bike is said to have a 155km range.

National Traffic Safety Association investigates why scooter accidents increased in Sweden in 2024.

Voi Store opened in Le Havre (FR).