The bike hire company nextbike is no longer allowed to offer its bikes on public roads in Berlin for the time being. The company has now also lost in the second instance before the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) of Berlin-Brandenburg (Ref.: 6 S 114/25 of 19 January 2026).

There were no fixed stations for the bikes. Instead, customers could book the bikes via an app, use them and return them in so-called flex zones. The company had concluded a public law contract with the state of Berlin for this purpose and was granted temporary special use permits until 30 June 2025. Although no agreement could be reached on the continuation of the contract, the company continued its business without a special use permit. The Berlin Senate Administration then demanded in July 2025 that all rental bikes be removed from the public roads.

Like the lower court, the OVG also confirmed that the need for regulation was decisive because the large number of rental bikes obstructed the use of the pavements.