Stuttgart’s e-cargo bike rental program to be developed

Source: State capital Stuttgart Picture Source: State capital Stuttgart

The German city of Stuttgart is adjusting its e-cargo bike rental program, the “Stuttgarter Rössle”, to prioritise low-income families and facilitate easier access to sustainable family transport through long-term rents.

The city’s cargo bike rental scheme was established in December 2022 via the social enterprise Neue Arbeit gGmbH, and has seen high demand. The city also implemented a funding scheme for families to purchase cargo bikes, which concluded in December 2025.

The Stuttgarter Rössle rental program offers cargo bikes from a pool of 126 units, and there is an extensive waiting list. To manage this situation, the Committee for Urban Development and Technology met on 3 March and took the decision to limit the offer to residents with a valid FamilienCard (which exists to enable children and young people to participate in leisure and educational activities), or with a Bonuscard + Kultur (which aims to enable eligible individuals to participate in the city‘s cultural, sporting, and social life despite financial limitations).

Those cargo bikes already rented out will be unaffected by the new regulation, and will be reallocated when their rental terms come to a close.

The monthly rental charges have been raised slightly, from €20 to €24 for households with Bonuscard + Kultur, and from €30 to €36 for households with a FamilienCard.

The Stuttgart website states that “The new regulation is intended to ensure that more interested parties with limited financial means can use an e-cargo bike. At the same time, the adjustment serves to improve the cost-effectiveness of the service. Additional revenue will be used to purchase more bikes in order to gradually expand capacity.”

Reducing reliance on cars

The aim of the city’s funding program is to reduce environmentally harmful emissions and make the city more liveable and healthier. 

Cargo bike purchase grant recipients took part in a survey conducted by the Statistical Office, and results showed a significant shift from making journeys in a car to the subsidised cargo bikes – over 94% of trips where the purpose was transporting children or shopping were now made by cargo bike.

Those in receipt of a subsidy for a cargo bike were also eligible for a sustainability bonus, which took a long-term view. A prerequisite for the bonus was that the household either had no car, or one less car over a period of three years after purchasing the cargo bike.