Thursday, January 22
In a decision made by the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg, the rental bike company Nextbike can no longer offer its rental bikes to Berliners, despite their appeal. That means that all the company’s 6,500 rental bikes must be removed immediately.
Last summer, the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment demanded that Nextbike apply for a special use permit (Sondernutzungserlaubnis). The company did not do this. Instead, they went to court, a strategy that did not prove successful.
In Berlin, a permit is required for companies like Nextbike to use the public road space for commercial reasons, a special use rule under the city’s road law. Previously, Nextbike had operated their rental bike system on behalf of the Senate with public funding. But when that contract expired on June 30, 2025, due to budget cuts, the Senate discontinued the agreement.
Since then, Nextbike has been running the business themselves, something they can no longer do. They now have two options: apply for a special permit of remove all their bikes from Berlin’s streets.
“The court has confirmed our view of the law,” said Senate spokeswoman Petra Nelken. A press release from the Higher Administrative Court also made their stance very clear by stating, “The decision is final.”
