A family rental, in three steps

Two adult bikes, two kids' bikes and a seat for the youngest, Friday to Sunday: online booking doesn't count bikes, and a time slot fits within a single day. So this rental comes in as a request, and you accept it once you've checked your fleet.
  1. The request

    In the Form, the parent picks the pickup and return dates, then checks the boxes for e-bikes, hybrids, kids' bikes, a child seat or a trailer. A paragraph field collects each rider's height, which tells you how many bikes to prepare and in what sizes. An email flags each submission, which then stays in the back office.
  2. Your confirmation

    You check what's left for those dates, then email or call the family back: a medium frame, a large frame, a 24-inch kids' bike and a 20-inch one, the seat on a parent's bike, the price, the pickup time. On the day, the saddles are already set to the right height: nobody waits at the counter.
  3. Departure

    At pickup, the family opens the map in the app and chooses a loop, the flat 8 miles along the lake. Each stage is a numbered pin, from the shop to the beach; the loop's page gives the distance, the elevation gain and the snack stop.

On your app's map

Loops from 8 to 25 miles

The lake loop without a single hill, 15 miles through the vineyards with 600 ft of climbing, 25 miles to the hilltop village: every loop starts at the shop, every stage is a numbered pin.

Charging stations

Every station where an e-bike can be charged, with its address and a photo to spot it; the loop's page says whether one charge will get riders all the way around.

Café stops

The harbor café, the winery's tasting room, the crêpe stand on the beach: stops where bikes can be parked in the shade, and sometimes a battery plugged in over lunch.

Viewpoints

The lookout above the lake, the chapel in the middle of the vineyards: where to lean the bike for a photo, and how long the climb up to it is.

The shop

Its address, pickup and return hours, directions from the train station or the campground, and the assistance number, reachable with one tap.

Guided rides, booked in the app

Two and a half hours in the vineyards with your guide, for one group at a time

Open a "Vineyard ride" section with 2½-hour slots, 9:30 a.m. to noon and 4:30 to 7 p.m., away from the midday heat. The group that takes a slot rides alone with your guide, a family of five or four friends, never two groups put together. The booking form asks how many they'll be, how many want an e-bike and their riding level. The group and you both get the confirmation email, and the ride goes into the guide's Google Calendar with the form answers. The version with a wine tasting lasts 3½ hours? Give it its own section, plugged into the same calendar: once it's booked for 9:30 a.m., the shorter ride disappears for that morning.

How much does a bike rental app cost?

For customers to download your shop's app on iPhone and Android, choose the Premium plan. To make guided rides bookable, add Appointment booking, a paid extra; the Pro plan already includes it. The Form, the map, the contact page, notifications and Geofencing, available from Premium, cost nothing more.
Premium · your shop's app, downloadable on iOS and Android55€ /month, billed yearly
Bookable rides with Premium: Appointment booking as an extra15€ /month
Pro · guided rides bookable at no extra cost105€ /month, billed yearly
Apple and Google developer accounts are paid separately, directly to the stores. The Standard plan, a web version only, has neither booking nor Geofencing.

Bike rental shops: your questions about the app

Can my customers book four bikes for Saturday in the app?

Not directly. A booking takes up a whole time slot, with no quantity or size attached: the app has no idea you have three medium hybrids left and a single 20-inch kids' bike. The first customer to take "Saturday 9 a.m." would close that slot to everyone after them, whether they rent one bike or four. So the family sends a request through the Form, with sizes and dates, and you confirm once you've counted your bikes.

How do I offer guided rides?

Open one booking section per ride, with its length, its riding days and the guide's Google Calendar. With a 12-hour minimum notice, the morning ride is settled the evening before: you know how many batteries to charge and can tell the winery how many glasses to set out. If the group cancels, from the app or their email, you're notified. Storm in the forecast? Close that day: each booked group gets a cancellation email.

Where do I show charging stations for e-bikes?

Give each station its own pin on the map: address, a photo of the spot, public or reserved for a café's customers. Add the stops that will charge a battery, and say on each loop's page whether one charge is enough. These pins are fixed: the map doesn't show whether a station is free, or where your riders are.

A customer gets a flat 10 miles from the shop: what's in the app for them?

First, your assistance number: one tap on the contact page and the phone rings at the shop. Then a "Breakdown" page: fixing a flat with the kit in the saddlebag, putting the chain back on, riding home on a dead battery. On the phone, they give you the number of the nearest pin on the map, since the app doesn't locate them.

Can customers pay for the rental or leave a deposit in the app?

No. Rentals, rides and security deposits are settled at the shop, and booking takes no advance payment. Customers pay at pickup, as they do today, and leave the deposit on site, according to your terms. Post your half-day, full-day and weekly rates in the app, along with the deposit for each type of bike.

Do I still need my rental software?

Yes: the app doesn't replace it and doesn't connect to it. Your software, or your spreadsheet, tracks the fleet: which bike is out, which one needs a new tire, which battery is charging, who has paid. The app works before pickup and out on the road: requests, rides, loops, charging stations, assistance. The back office exports requests as a CSV file for your own tool.

What happens to the app in the off-season?

It stays online, loops and charging stations included, for people planning their trip. When the shop closes, clear the rides section's time ranges; in October, keep only the weekends. In spring, schedule the reopening notification, then the June one announcing the rides, ahead of the July and August rush.
Extension Store
Before departure, the Form takes rental requests and Appointment booking takes the rides; on the road, CMS Map shows loops, charging stations and stops, and CMS Contact puts assistance one tap away. Push notifications and Geofencing announce the season or greet app users arriving at the train station. These extensions are free, except ride booking: an option on Premium that Pro includes.