City bikes are disappearing. Will riders get their refunds?

Wavelo, the company operating Krakow’s city bike service, decided earlier this year to pull out of their five-year contract early as a result of reduced usage due (in part) to the new popularity of electric scooters.

Now, customers who purchased subscriptions have been frustrated in their search for refunds.

The problem applies to year-long subscriptions, which are becoming increasingly useless as Wavelo removes its bikes from around the city in preparation for the 1 January termination of the contract. (The company has said it will only refund subscriptions which begin in the new year.)

The case has drawn the intervention of city councilor (and one-time mayoral candidate) Łukasz Gibała of the Krakow for Citizens club, who said the city should pressure the company to give more refunds. However, public transport authority representatives have said that their hands are tied, as Wavelo technically has not violated any part of their contract with subscribers.