.svg){kind=small}
BLOOM vs Donkey Republic
An independent comparison of two fleet management platforms to help you choose the right fit for your business.
BLOOM
Dania Beach, Florida, USA
Donkey Republic
Copenhagen, Denmark
BLOOM vs Donkey Republic: What You Need to Know
BLOOM (Dania Beach, Florida, est. 2018) enters this comparison as a mid-market SaaS platform targeting campuses, hotels, and municipalities in the 1–1,000+ vehicle range at $5/device/month on Premium — a price point accessible to a university recreation department or a resort operator. Donkey Republic (Copenhagen, Denmark, est. 2014) is a Nasdaq-listed B2G specialist whose SaaS rate of EUR 480/bike/year for pedal bikes (plus hardware) is squarely aimed at European cities procuring fleets of 50–5,000+ bikes through public tender. The fundamental difference is procurement pathway: BLOOM sells direct to private operators, campuses, and hospitality businesses; Donkey Republic has built its entire go-to-market around winning government contracts in the Nordics, Benelux, and Germany, with a managed MaaS option where Donkey handles local workshop setup, operations staffing, and transit integration with apps like Moovit and 9292. For a US university wanting a quick 50-bike deployment, BLOOM's tiered pricing and QR-based setup is faster and less bureaucratic; for a European city issuing a public tender and requiring a Nasdaq-listed, compliance-ready vendor with transit app integration, Donkey Republic is the more natural fit.
Bottom Line
Donkey Republic is purpose-built for European municipal bike-share procurement, offering government compliance credentials and MaaS transit integration that BLOOM doesn't match; BLOOM is the faster, more affordable choice for private operators, campuses, and hospitality businesses outside the B2G procurement cycle.
Key Differences
Target customer and procurement model
Donkey Republic is designed for B2G government procurement — European municipalities and transit agencies issuing RFPs. BLOOM sells direct to private operators, universities, hotels, and corporate campuses without the procurement overhead.
Pricing transparency
Donkey Republic publishes EUR 480/bike/year as a SaaS entry point (hardware extra), giving city procurement offices a clear number. BLOOM's published rate is $5/device/month on Premium, with Enterprise pricing for larger municipal deployments requiring a conversation.
Transit and MaaS integration
Donkey Republic integrates with Moovit, 9292, Gaiyo, and Moves for first-mile/last-mile connectivity in European transit ecosystems. BLOOM does not advertise equivalent MaaS API integrations.
Retrofit capability
Donkey Republic offers a EUR 140/unit retrofit kit for operators with existing bike fleets, enabling a software upgrade without full hardware replacement. BLOOM does not offer a comparable retrofit path.
Regulatory standing
Donkey Republic's Nasdaq listing satisfies vendor transparency requirements in many European government procurement processes. BLOOM is a private Florida company with no equivalent disclosure requirements.
Platform Overview
About BLOOM
BLOOM is an open sharing ecosystem for bike, e-scooter, and EV sharing programs. Backed by over 1,000 deployments ranging from Fortune 500 campuses to national parks, BLOOM supports docked and dockless systems, free and fee-based models, and public and private networks. Notable clients include Kaiser Permanente, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Charles Schwab, and Yosemite National Park. The platform uses BLE lock and IoT hardware integrations with a tiered pricing model.
About Donkey Republic
Donkey Republic is a Danish bike-sharing company founded in 2014 and publicly listed on Nasdaq Nordic since 2021. They operate 20,000+ bikes across 60+ cities in 8 European countries (Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden). Approximately 30% of revenue comes from B2G/B2B long-term contracts and municipal subsidies. They offer two models: SaaS (operator buys hardware and self-manages) and MaaS (Donkey provides end-to-end service including workshop setup and staff recruitment). Per-bike operational costs range from EUR 480-1,000/year depending on model and vehicle type, plus EUR 825-2,000 per bike hardware cost and EUR 140/unit equipment kit.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | BLOOM | Donkey Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Dania Beach, Florida, USA | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Founded | 2018 | 2014 |
| Website | https://bloomsharing.com | https://donkey.bike |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing Model | Tiered by fleet size with per-device fees | Per-bike SaaS or managed MaaS with hardware purchase |
| Starting Price | $5/device/month (Premium) | EUR 480/bike/yr (SaaS pedal bike) + hardware |
| Scale & Hardware | ||
| Fleet Size Range | 1-1,000+ vehicles | 50-5,000+ bikes |
| Hardware Provided | Yes — bundled | Yes — bundled |
| IoT Approach | Free plan uses mechanical locks only. Premium tier adds BLE lock support. Enterprise tier supports GPS, IoT, and custom hardware integrations. Hardware available through BLOOM shop (connected scooters from $699 each, minimum pod of 5). | Proprietary Bluetooth smart-lock system integrated into Donkey bikes and available as a retrofit kit (EUR 140/unit) for existing fleets. Uses Comodule connectivity for e-bikes enabling remote control and real-time tracking. |
How Does Levy Fleets Compare to Both?
Before deciding between BLOOM and Donkey Republic, consider Levy Fleets — a turnkey platform that delivers enterprise-grade features at a fraction of the cost, with no tiered feature gates on any plan.
| Category | Levy Fleets | BLOOM | Donkey Republic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $250/mo | $5/device/month (Premium) | EUR 480/bike/yr (SaaS pedal bike) + hardware |
| Pricing Model | Revenue share, per-vehicle, or self-managed — your choice | Tiered by fleet size with per-device fees | Per-bike SaaS or managed MaaS with hardware purchase |
| Feature Gating | None — full features on every plan | Varies by tier | Varies by tier |
| Minimum Fleet Size | No minimum | 1 | 50 |
| Setup Fees | $0 (white-label optional at $2,750) | Varies | Varies |
| Support | 24/7 US-based, included on all plans | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Hardware Included | Yes — IoT pre-installed on all vehicles | Yes | Yes |
Levy Fleets includes payment processing, chargebacks, rider support, ID verification, push notifications, and marketing analytics on every plan — features that BLOOM and Donkey Republic either gate behind premium tiers or charge extra for.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | BLOOM | Donkey Republic |
|---|---|---|
| BLOOM Features | ||
| BLOOM rider mobile app (iOS & Android) | ||
| QR-based asset management | ||
| Custom user approval rules | ||
| Geo-fencing capabilities (Premium+) | ||
| Location-based advertising (Premium+) | ||
| Usage reporting and heat maps | ||
| Service alerts and maintenance images | ||
| Custom enrollment emails and notifications | ||
| Custom system terms and conditions | ||
| Docked and dockless system support | ||
| BLE lock integration (Premium+) | ||
| Municipal system support (Enterprise) | ||
| Donkey Republic Unique Features | ||
| Plug-and-play bike-sharing system | ||
| "The Stables" fleet management dashboard | ||
| "Shepherd" maintenance crew app | ||
| Custom pricing, coupon codes, and membership creation | ||
| Virtual hubs, physical docking hubs, or hybrid deployment | ||
| Bluetooth smart-lock technology on every bike | ||
| Relocation fees to incentivize proper parking | ||
| Theft insurance included with every ride | ||
| Retrofit kit for existing bike fleets (EUR 140/unit) | ||
| Purpose-built sharing bikes with 8-year lifespan | ||
| MaaS transit integrations (Moovit, 9292, Gaiyo, Moves) | ||
| Multi-language rider app (10+ languages) | ||
Pricing Breakdown
BLOOM Pricing
Free plan: $0 for fleets under 10 vehicles (mechanical locks, no rental charges allowed, in-app branding only). Premium plan: $0 with BLOOM fleet purchase or $5/device/month (BLE locks, rental charges permitted, geo-fencing, location-based ads, custom branding; minimum monthly fees may apply). Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for 100+ vehicle fleets (GPS/IoT hardware, white-label, municipal support).
Donkey Republic Pricing
SaaS Model (operator self-manages): EUR 480/yr per pedal bike or EUR 760/yr per e-bike in operational costs, plus EUR 2,000 setup fee, plus EUR 825/pedal bike or EUR 2,000/e-bike hardware, plus EUR 140/unit equipment kit, plus EUR 240-300/bike/year license fee. MaaS Model (Donkey operates): EUR 660/yr per pedal bike or EUR 1,000/yr per e-bike in operational costs, plus EUR 10,000 setup fee. All pricing customized by country, city, population, and fleet size. Minimum 50 bikes.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose BLOOM if you...
- You are a US or international private operator — campus, resort, hotel, or residential — outside the European government procurement cycle
- You want a platform that supports both docked and dockless deployments simultaneously
- You need location-based advertising revenue as part of your sharing platform business model
- Your fleet is under 50 vehicles and you want to get up and running quickly without a lengthy vendor sales process
- You want custom enrollment workflows, terms and conditions, and approval rules as part of a white-label experience
- You are managing a national park, recreational area, or co-working space that needs flexible access control
Choose Donkey Republic if you...
- You are a European municipality or transit agency issuing a public tender for a city bike-share system
- You require a Nasdaq-listed vendor for government procurement transparency and compliance documentation
- You need first-mile/last-mile integration with European transit apps like Moovit, 9292, or Gaiyo
- You have an existing bike fleet and want to upgrade it with a EUR 140/unit smart-lock retrofit rather than replacing hardware
- You want a fully managed MaaS deployment where Donkey sets up local workshops and operations staffing
- Your fleet target is 50–5,000+ bikes across a city that needs multi-language support and Bluetooth smart-lock technology
Looking for an Alternative to Both BLOOM and Donkey Republic?
Levy Fleets offers a turnkey fleet management solution with flexible pricing — revenue share (20% of GMV (15% at 100-249 vehicles, annual terms)), per-vehicle ($14 per vehicle/mo), or self-managed — and the same full feature set on every plan. No tiered feature gates, no minimum fleet sizes, and US-based 24/7 support included.