Blinkee

Blinkee is a Polish shared micromobility brand that operates app-based short-term rentals of electric motor scooters, electric kick scooters, and traditional and electric bicycles. It was founded in 2016 by brothers Paweł and Marcin Maliszewski together with Kamil Klepacki, and the service launched on 8 March 2017 in Warsaw with an initial fleet of six scooters. The company describes itself as the first such operator in Poland and the third in Europe to rent electric scooters by the minute, and it also runs e-kick-scooter and city-bike systems, including e-bikes. Rentals are handled through an iOS and Android mobile app. Blinkee expanded quickly within Poland and then into other European countries. By the end of 2017 its system covered 61 vehicles; in the 2018 season it operated in 11 Polish cities and five cities in other European countries with a fleet of 700 scooters. In the 2019 season it was available in 17 Polish cities, and in 2020 it reached 28 Polish cities and seven other European countries. The service has also been deployed in Spain, Croatia, Hungary, Sweden, Malta and Romania. Beyond scooters, Blinkee added electric kick scooters under its brand in April 2019 and introduced bicycles in 2018 in Milanówek and Rzeszów, using the same app and account as the scooter service. The brand has pursued corporate partnerships to extend its reach. In May 2019 it began cooperation with ING, placing 100 branded scooters and 100 kick scooters in Katowice and 200 scooters and 100 kick scooters in Warsaw. A similar arrangement with Unimot (Avia stations) brought vehicles to the streets of Lublin. In 2020 the company added Blik and Play mobile-operator payments alongside standard card payments. Blinkee's history also includes a notable controversy around its Swedish expansion. A crowdfunding round at the end of 2018 raised money for network development, and in April 2019 the Blinkee Nordic AB unit launched in Stockholm. The campaign had targeted EUR 217,000 but raised only EUR 127,000, which was supposed to represent 2–5% of shares in the new company; investors believed the company held the remaining 95% of capital. After about five months of operation, at the end of September 2019, the management board — Paweł and Marcin Maliszewski — removed the scooters to Poland, a fact reportedly hidden from investors for months. Because required annual reports for 2020 and 2021 were not filed, the Swedish registration authority began liquidating Blinkee Nordic AB, a process completed in December 2023. The final report cited serious management negligence, lack of assets and unresolved claims over the appropriation of Swedish scooters, leaving investors with nothing. The Blinkee electric scooters are two-person vehicles weighing 55 kg with a 150 kg payload and a top speed of 45 km/h. Their range is about 80 km depending on weather and riding style, and the trunk holds two helmets plus disposable head caps. A full charge takes just under four hours. Riders must hold an A, AM, B, A1 or A2 driving licence, or be born before 19 January 1995 and ride without a licence. The scooters carry third-party liability insurance, and each scooter is valued at PLN 12,000 gross. The e-kick scooters are single-person, limited to 25 km/h, fitted with front and rear LED lights and two independent brakes (electric and manual), and available to adults who download the blinkee.city app and accept its terms. In 2020 the Blinkee brand covered 2,741 kick scooters in 32 cities. The bicycles are fourth-generation public bikes that can be left anywhere and located via the app; alongside traditional bikes the system offers e-bikes powered by smartphone-sized batteries with a range of 8–10 km per charge.

Blinkee was founded in 2016 by brothers Paweł and Marcin Maliszewski together with Kamil Klepacki. The service launched on 8 March 2017 in Warsaw, initially making six electric scooters available. Later in 2017 the company began operating in the Tricity area (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot), initially with 15 vehicles. By the end of 2017 the system comprised 61 vehicles. In the 2018 season the service was launched in 11 Polish cities and five cities in other European countries, with a fleet of 700 scooters. Also in 2018, the first Blinkee bicycles appeared on the streets of Milanówek and Rzeszów. These were fourth-generation public bikes, meaning they could be left anywhere and located via the app; alongside traditional bicycles the system also offered electric bikes with smartphone-sized batteries providing 8–10 km of assisted range per charge. The same app and account were used for scooters, kick scooters and bicycles. In the 2019 season the service was available in 17 Polish cities. In April 2019, electric kick scooters were introduced under the Blinkee brand, initially in Katowice and Warsaw and later in five more Polish cities. The kick scooters were single-person, limited to 25 km/h, equipped with front and rear LED lights and two independent brakes (electric and manual), and available to adults who downloaded the blinkee.city app and accepted its terms. In May 2019 the company began cooperation with ING, which made 100 branded scooters and 100 kick scooters available in Katowice and 200 scooters and 100 kick scooters in Warsaw. A similar cooperation with Unimot (Avia stations) brought vehicles to the streets of Lublin. In 2020 the service operated in 28 Polish cities and seven other European countries. That year, in addition to standard card payments, Blinkee added Blik payments and payment via the Play mobile network operator. The brand covered 2,741 kick scooters in 32 cities in 2020. The service's coverage in 2020 included 30 cities in Poland and cities in six other European countries: in Poland — Warsaw, Poznań, Kraków, Tricity, Wrocław, Łódź, Koszalin/Kołobrzeg, Mielno, Lublin, Białystok, Rzeszów, Ostrów County, Kielce, Radom, Bydgoszcz, Elbląg, Serock, Katowice, Skawina, Wieliczka, Myślenice, Tarnów, Gliwice, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Szczecin, Jelenia Góra, Rybnik, Bielsko-Biała, Przemyśl, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Toruń, Włocławek, Płock, Grudziądz and Sosnowiec; abroad — Spain (Valencia, Castelló de la Plana), Croatia (Split, Omiš), Hungary (Budapest, Pécs), Sweden (Stockholm), Malta and Romania (Bucharest). A significant controversy surrounded the Swedish expansion. A crowdfunding round at the end of 2018 raised funds for network development, and in April 2019 the Blinkee Nordic AB unit launched in Stockholm. The campaign had assumed EUR 217,000 but raised only EUR 127,000, which was supposed to constitute 2–5% of shares in the newly formed company. It turned out that this was the only financial capital in the treasury; investors believed the company held 95% of the capital. After five months of stable operation, at the end of September 2019, the management board — Paweł Maliszewski and Marcin Maliszewski — took the scooters back to Poland. This fact was hidden from investors for many months, with the epidemic and the search for a strategic investor to buy the entire network given as excuses. The truth emerged somewhat by accident. As a result of failing to file the annual reports required by law for 2020 and 2021, the Swedish registration authority began liquidation of Blinkee Nordic AB, which was completed in December 2023. The final report indicated gross negligence by the management board, lack of assets and unresolved claims of misappropriation of the Swedish scooters. Investors were left with nothing. The Blinkee electric scooters are two-person vehicles with a mass of 55 kg, a payload of 150 kg and a maximum speed of 45 km/h. Their range is about 80 km depending on weather conditions and riding style. The trunks contain two helmets and disposable head caps. A full charge takes just under four hours. The vehicles may be used by persons holding an A, AM, B, A1 or A2 driving licence, as well as persons without a licence born before 19 January 1995. The scooters have third-party liability insurance. The value of one scooter is PLN 12,000 gross.

• Company founded by Paweł and Marcin Maliszewski and Kamil Klepacki

• Service launches in Warsaw with six scooters

• Operations begin in the Tricity area with 15 vehicles

• System reaches 61 vehicles

• Service operates in 11 Polish cities and 5 foreign cities with 700 scooters; first bicycles appear in Milanówek and Rzeszów

• Electric kick scooters introduced under the Blinkee brand; Blinkee Nordic AB launches in Stockholm

• Cooperation with ING begins, deploying branded scooters and kick scooters

• Management removes scooters from Stockholm back to Poland

• Service operates in 28 Polish cities and 7 other European countries; Blik and Play payments added; 2,741 kick scooters in 32 cities

• Liquidation of Blinkee Nordic AB completed

Shared micromobility operator offering app-based, minute-billed rentals of electric scooters, e-kick scooters and bicycles, positioned as a first mover in Poland and an early European operator.

• Electric motor scooter

  Two-person vehicle, 55 kg, 150 kg payload, 45 km/h top speed, ~80 km range, two helmets and disposable caps in trunk, full charge under 4 hours, third-party liability insurance, value PLN 12,000 gross.

• Electric kick scooter

  Single-person, 25 km/h limit, front and rear LED lights, two independent brakes (electric and manual), available to adults via blinkee.city app.

• Traditional bicycle

  Fourth-generation public bike, can be left anywhere, located via app, same account as scooters.

• Electric bicycle

  Pedal-assist e-bike powered by smartphone-sized battery, 8–10 km range per charge.

• blinkee.city mobile app

  iOS and Android app used to rent scooters, kick scooters and bicycles.

1. 1Blinkee – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Blinkee – Wikipedia (Polish)pl.wikipedia.org
3. 3Blinkee official websiteblinkee.city