VisionEdgeOne completes second micromobility investment with acquisition of PubliBike
30 JULY 2026 – VisionEdgeOne (VE1) has made a further investment in the European micromobility sector, with the completion of its acquisition of PubliBike AG (“PubliBike”), the leading bike-sharing operator in Switzerland, on behalf of its investors.
This follows VE1’s April 2025 acquisition of Inurba Mobility, an international micro-mobility operator specialising in bike-sharing systems with a current fleet of more than 20,000 bikes. The investment in PubliBike marks VE1’s entry into the Swiss bike-sharing market, extending a footprint that already spans Spain, France, Finland, Poland and Hungary through Inurba Mobility.
Headquartered in Biel/Bienne, PubliBike operates more than 10,000 bikes and e-bikes across ten cantons, including Bern, Zurich and Basel, with a team of around 50 employees. Operating the PubliBike and Velospot networks, the company holds concessions with cities, agglomerations and cantons across the German-, French- and Italian-speaking regions, and works with a broad base of technology and trade partners to run and continually upgrade its fleets.
Established in 2011 by PostAuto (part of Swiss Post) in collaboration with Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the company pioneered shared, environmentally-friendly mobility in Switzerland and has since grown through mergers with local operators such as Velopass and Intermobility. PubliBike became independent in 2022 following a management buyout led by CEO Markus Bacher.
PubliBike’s CEO Markus Bacher will continue to lead the Swiss business and VE1 will support PubliBike’s continued growth and the roll-out of new services, as Swiss municipalities increasingly turn to micro-mobility as an affordable, healthy and green extension of public transport, with strong adoption from local enterprises and individual users.
Quentin Voileau, Managing Director at VE1, commented: “The acquisition of PubliBike is a great addition to VE1’s European micro-mobility platform; its business is highly complementary to Inurba Mobility, with potential synergies through sharing technology and commercial expertise, and gaining operational scale across the wider platform.
“PubliBike is the clear bike-sharing national champion in Switzerland, a country with a strong bicycle culture. We are excited to support Markus and the team as they grow PubliBike and continue to deliver affordable sustainable mobility in Switzerland.”
Markus Bacher, CEO of PubliBike, commented: “Over the past years, we have strengthened PubliBike both operationally and financially, putting the company on a sound footing for the future. This stability allows us to continue investing in reliable services, our fleet, our technology and our people for the benefit of our public-sector partners and users. I am proud to continue leading the company together with our experienced team. With VE1, we are gaining a long-term partner that shares our conviction in micromobility and will help us further improve our services and bring sustainable bike sharing to even more communities.”
The transaction completed on 24 July 2026. The acquirers were advised by Stifel (M&A), CMS (legal), Alvarez & Marsal (financial, tax and structuring), Furrerhugi (regulatory) and Aon (insurance). The sellers were advised by Clairfield International and Kley & Cie (M&A) and Kellerhals Carrard (legal).
Contact
Katie Sunderland: katie@visionedge.one
About VisionEdgeOne
VisionEdgeOne is an infrastructure investment firm with an experienced team across six locations (London, Copenhagen, Paris, Dubai, Austin & New York) focused on mid-market Infrastructure Private Equity investments primarily in Europe, applying a private equity mindset to value creation, featuring a combination of growth and robust downside protection through infrastructure thematics.
Rooted in an understanding of the accelerated pace of change and the impact of the global forces of disruption e.g. digitalisation, demographics and decarbonisation, we aim to support the transition towards a sustainable future by identifying and investing in the infrastructure of today and tomorrow across four sectors: Logistics, Energy, Digital & Urban.
About PubliBike AG
PubliBike traces its origins to 2011, when it was founded by PostAuto together with SBB and Rent a Bike. Following PostAuto’s acquisition of Velopass in 2012, the two operators merged under the PubliBike brand in 2014. In 2021, PubliBike moved into Swiss Post’s newly created “Mobility Services” division, with Swiss Post succeeding PostAuto as owner. In January 2022, CEO Markus Bacher acquired the company in a management buy-out alongside bicycle manufacturer Thomas Binggeli (Thömus, Twinner) and IT entrepreneur Guido Honegger (green.ch). In August 2022, PubliBike AG merged with Intermobility SA, one of Switzerland’s leading bike-sharing operators and the company behind the Velospot system. The merger brought together PubliBike’s shareholder group with Intermobility owner François Kuonen and his fellow shareholders, creating Switzerland’s largest bike-sharing network.