Tartu launches tender to buy 1,000 city bikes
Tartu's transport company will spend nearly €1.6 million to renew its city bike-sharing fleet with 1,000 new e-bikes, delivered in five stages through 2030.
Tartu Linnatransport, the city's transport company, has launched a tender to renew Tartu's bike-sharing system. The plan is to purchase 1,000 new electric bicycles for nearly €1.6 million.
Under the contract terms, the new bikes must be compatible with the existing bike-sharing system so that the service remains familiar and convenient for users. The bikes will be unlockable with the city's unified public transport card and will feature front baskets and a hub-integrated locking system, according to the Tartu city government's press service.
Phased delivery
Delivery of the bikes is planned in five stages. In the first stage, 250 e-bikes will be delivered within six months of signing the contract. An additional 150 bikes will follow in 2027, and 200 new bikes will be added each year over the following three years. This way, the transition from the current bike fleet to the new one will happen gradually, with some of the existing electric and regular bikes remaining in use alongside the new ones.
Bike-sharing as part of mobility
Tartu's city bike-sharing system is part of the city's public transport network, and seven years of experience have shown it has become a natural part of mobility in Tartu and the surrounding municipalities. In 2025, more than 13,000 people took at least one ride using the system, with around 6,000 regular users. Various international studies have ranked Tartu's bike-sharing system among the best in Europe.
Tartu's goal is to increase the share of cycling in everyday travel and to provide residents and visitors with a modern, convenient and reliable bike-sharing service. The purchase of new electric bikes will help ensure the system's long-term operation and meet growing demand for environmentally friendly ways of getting around.
