GoBike is a social enterprise set up and registered in 2018. GoBike’s business model of growth and prosperity is closely linked with developments and contribution into the community, and most importantly the environment. GoBike believes the bicycle is the best solution for better health, cleaner environment, poverty alleviation, and more efficient transport. The objective of GoBike is to improve access to a bicycle as a means of independence, mobility, and employment. Selling and renting bicycles, promoting cycling and cyclists, teaching people how to ride a bike, recycling of used bikes are services that we currently provide. GoBike is operational between the months of March and October. In other months the weather is colder in Kosovo so people stop cycling.
Active Programs
| Program | Description | Dates Active |
|---|---|---|
| GoBike Store | GoBike initially started operating as a bicycle store. Throughout two summers of operation, it has developed other services which together with the bicycle store help us deliver our social mission. The store is located 6.5 miles from capital Pristina. GoBike received its very first shipment of bicycles in July 2018. Although new in the market in Pristina, and operational only during the warmer months of the year, we managed to become an established name, and one of the most sought-after bicycle providers in eastern Kosovo. In a country of 1.8m inhabitants, in only two summers we obtained 3,800 followers on Instagram and 1,200 on Facebook. We sold 364 bicycles to people who used them: a) to substitute cars with bicycles for their commute; b) to run errands for their business, thus cutting overall business costs; or c) to use for recreational purposes. Steady and controlled start, establishing a good name, providing bicycles at an affordable price thus increasing the number of cyclists in city streets, and promoting cycling as a healthy way of living helps the mission of GoBike as a social enterprise. | July 2018 – October 2018 and March 2019 – October 2019 |
| Renting services | In our second summer of operation, GoBike has started GoBike’s renting services. We have rented bicycles to numerous cycling events commemorating various environmental days, and to interested individuals and organizations/companies who rented bicycles for their away days with staff or to go on biking excursions. | March 2019 – October 2019 |
| Partnering, advocating and up-skilling | We have partnered with Prishtina-based youth non-governmental organization AYA ‘Pjetër Bogdani’ to promote cycling role models, and have advocated for the expansions of cycling lanes within the municipality of Prishtina. As a result, Prishtina’s mobility plan now includes expansion of cycling infrastructure, for which municipal financial resources have already been allocated. In partnership with AYA ‘Pjetër Bogdani’, we have organized Cycling Schools to teach cycling skills to around 100 children. Advocacy activities as well as joint work with AYA ‘Pjetër Bogdani’ has helped us meet other businesses and reach new clients. | March 2020 – October 2019 |
Community Impact
Partnering with Pedals for Progress has been crucial to getting the GoBike social enterprise going. Through our partnership we have managed to set up the enterprise, sell bicycles to beneficiaries from all walks of life, organize cycling events, and teach people how to ride a bike. To cover the initial expenses and consolidate the work of the new social enterprise, GoBike’s work was oriented towards commercially driven projects.
1. GoBike Store
In our first season, in 2018, GoBike was concentrated on sales. In our second season, in 2019, GoBike worked hard to build bike-renting services and to put bikes to good use for people and for the environment.
2. Rent Services – Cycling Events
GoBike has rented bicycles for numerous cycling events commemorating various environmental days, and to interested individuals and organizations who rented bicycles for their away days with staff or to go on biking excursions.
a. “Movement” Campaign – August 2019
The first activity was the campaign “Movement” with more than 200 cyclists. The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness of policy-makers for environmental policy and to halt decisions that harm the quality of air, water and land. The movement called for concrete programs and investments in creating conditions for unimpeded pedestrian walking, dedicated bicycle trails, and unimpeded cycling for urban transport.
b. Mobility Week – September 2020
For Mobility Week, the staff of Public Housing Enterprise in Pristina decided to use cycling as a means of transport, to conduct field work, go on lunch break, or to commute to work. With the support of GoBike bicycles, they made our city beautiful, cleaner and more livable. From now on, the parking lot of the Public Housing Enterprise and the Municipality of Prishtina offer special and secure bicycle parkings for employees and citizens alike.
Mobility Week facebook video (38 seconds)
c. Critical Mass in Prishtina – June 2019
GoBike partnered with a local youth non-governmental organization AYA ‘Pjetër Bogdani’ to organize the Critical Mass in Prishtina. The event was an activity within the project “Bicycles, Me and the City”, funded by the European Union Office in Kosovo.
d. Cycling Schools in Prishtina
In June 2019, GoBike teamed up with AYA ‘Pjetër Bogdani’ to organize Cycling Schools, and teach people how to ride a bike. Cycling Schools were quite popular. One can never have enough of such events, as the demand was high, particularly amongst children.
Cycling Schools took place in downtown Pristina and were free of charge. Whilst our teams helped every interested person balance and pedal, we gave particular attention to little girls, for whom parents often neglect this important milestone in their lives: learning how to ride a bicycle, be free, and grow their independence. GoBike can only hope that through these activities we can contribute in growing the cycling community of Pristina; help young girls and boys grow independent; provide a cycling experience to the adults who have never experienced cycling before; and reduce carbon emissions air by promoting cycling as a more sustainable way of transport.
Qualitative Assessment, Impact on Beneficiaries
For the time being, the monitoring, evaluations and learning aspect of our operations are done by my family. We are using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to assess the reach and impact of our activities so far: e.g., the number of bicycles sold (343), rented bicycle services (over 200), the income generated in a given season, and comparison with prior season(s) of operation (so far only two seasons).
Until now, we have kept in touch with clients who purchased bicycles at GoBike to learn how have the bicycles added value into their life or business, and have publicized their stories in our social media pages and also submitted human stories to P4P for the newsletters. For new projects in the future, we will use feedback forms and other tools to see how our projects are having a wider societal impact. We also keep track of the number of boys, girls, women and men who have benefited from Cycling Schools (+100 kids), or participated in Critical Mass (+50), and other cycling events we have organized – as we try to see whether access to bicycles is as easy for girls and women as it is for boys and men. Unfortunately in Kosovo there are not many female cyclists. The demand for women’s bikes is over 75% less than for men’s bikes. We notice the same trend in parents, who mostly buy bicycles for their sons but not for their daughters. This is why in our cycling schools we gave particular attention to little girls.
To evaluate the image and reach of GoBike we monitor and engage with followers’ comments, reviews and likes in GoBike’s social media.
GoBike Plans for Container 2
As a recently established enterprise, with the first contingent of bicycles, GoBike’s work was oriented towards commercially driven projects. With the second container of bikes, GoBike will continue the activities we have carried on until now, revamping some of the projects, and initiating new ones. A key goal is to generate sufficient income from selling bicycles to enable us to keep our business as a social enterprise. We hope to be able to continue promoting cyclists and cycling, especially amongst women and girls and economically disadvantaged groups. And we hope to further develop our renting services.
Sewing Machines
Sewing Machines are made available for online sale via the facebook page Sewing Machines from America (in Albanian). Just recently, GoBike has sold two machines.
GoBike is still seeking to partner with organizations that would organize sewing classes for training of people from marginalized groups.