Publibike Reviews 

Biel/Bienne: bikes partly in bad conditions and the function in the app to report problems doesn't work ("ungültige oder fehlende Felder"). I've experienced this twice. Almost all normal bikes have been replaced by small wheel (20") bikes which are pretty heavy and less stable. There are no electric bikes anymore. The last time I wanted to rent a bike I had to call the hotline since the bike wouldn't open with the app. There is no way getting in touch with the company other than by chat (only a chatbot, no human) or by phone, no e-mail. All in all: they could do better!

The service is great in theory and it can often be very convenient, especially for the city when you need quick and short mobility. The recent expansions are also very convenient.
There are issues with the software however, and sometimes the lock does not engage. Since there is no manual lock anymore, the system relies on their servers and your connection working. An unstable connection thus might be the reason why you just can't lock... And if you notice more than 30 days later that they actually charged you CHF 50 for a ride that says CHF 0 in the app, you will hit a brick wall with support.
If you have time and nerve to spare, it's okay.

horrible app and horrible service. The bikes are more often then not not working properly, and for example the parking spot next to me is often empty. In this case, there have been no bike since 10.07.2026. Unacceptable for someone who pays a subscription.

Always a problem with the bike or the app. Not reliable at all. Please don’t plan anything critical on a travel with those bikes. So many countries have so much better system, yet in Switzerland, supposed to be one of the most inovative country, something as simple as making available a trusted vélo system seems hard for some reasons… I paid 99.- / year to be able to NOT use them whenever I’d have need it AND to have issues : either bikes are absent, battery are low, electric assistant non functional or lock just won’t open. Shameful having a train system so good in comparison. In the end it’s just US or EU bikes company like Lime or UBER that will fills the gap. Would be a good lesson to this mediocre company. This would have been « acceptable » in 2010. Not in 2025 seeing what the concurrence is doing elsewhere.

Should have read the reviews!
Paid 5.- for the registration to then not find a single bike. Before registration there were plenty of bikes shown in the map.

Have done 4 rides with them. Only one went well. One the seat was inadjustable. The other two, the lock did not register as locked and I got charged for a full day. (They were left at a registered station) The first one they gave me credits instead of my money back. The second is still ongoing. After the first time it happened, I took pictures after I dropped the other bike, so now I got photographic proof it's on their end. I went back to the station and it is still there locked, yet the timer is still increasing. Ridiculously incompetent. Was left on hold for over 30 mins and no one answered. Doubting the legality of this.

half of the bikes are broken: electric assistance not working, seat is not adjustable, breaks are loose etc. 1 out of 2 cases you either can't pickup or unpause the already started ride, so you end up in the middle of nowhere with the broken bike. If you dare to ask for your money back, you're gonna spend half a day on the phone. Customer service treats you as if you owe them something and not like they should provide you any decent service for the money paid