Copenhagen politicians and bike rental companies meet at City Hall on August 20 to discuss tourists on shared e-bikes. Rental firms and the Danish Cyclists’ Federation call proposals for tourist-only helmets stigmatizing.
The meeting takes place today at Københavns Rådhus, DR reports. Among the ideas on the table are helmets in a special color for tourists on e-bikes, and a form of cycling license before visitors are allowed onto the bike lanes.
Christian Bergmann Mølgaard, responsible for Nordic markets at Donkey Republic, told DR he has trouble seeing the helmet idea work. Per his account, around 70 percent of the company’s rentals in Copenhagen are made by locals, making it hard to decide who would need a helmet. He also described a tourist-only requirement as a branding own goal for the city.
Kenneth Øhrberg Krag, director of Cyklistforbundet, the Danish Cyclists’ Federation, takes the same position. As he told DR, specially colored helmets for tourists would be stigmatizing, and he questioned how the rule would apply to Swedes or to Danes from Jutland who rarely cycle.
Both organizations say the volume of rental bikes is the larger problem. According to DR, there are about 13,000 shared e-bikes from various companies and platforms in Copenhagen. Mølgaard says the municipality lacks the legal means to regulate the number, and he backs national legislation from Christiansborg giving cities that power. In a letter to the transport minister dated August 22, 2025, the city’s technical and environment mayor proposed rules allowing municipalities to cap rental bike numbers, set technical requirements and sanction operators.
Training instead of a license
Øhrberg Krag says the number of e-bikes has run away, and that heavy, fast-accelerating e-bikes are not always the right choice for visitors. He suggests a video introducing Danish traffic law and local cycling in Copenhagen norms rather than a formal license. Donkey Republic, together with Rådet for Sikker Trafik, already shows new users with foreign phone numbers three pieces of advice, including keeping right and signaling with the arm, before a bike can be unlocked.
Voi’s head of public policy, Øystein Rikheim Sundelin, wrote to DR that most of the company’s users are Copenhageners rather than tourists. He called it positive that visitors choose shared bikes over cars or taxis, and said Voi is open to separate training for visitors on the city’s cycling rules.
Why the meeting is happening now
Berlingske reports that the municipality is gathering hotels, rental firms and the tourism sector over insecurity on the cycle paths. According to MigogKbh, business mayor Andreas Keil and technical and environment mayor Line Barfod called the roundtable, and about eight in ten residents are worried about the issue. BT and Turistmonitor report that lord mayor Sisse Marie Welling wants a traffic rules course, distinctive helmets for tourists and fewer shared e-bikes on the streets.
