Battle of Bikes-OnnBikes vs Royal Brothers!

A decade ago, bike rental was unknown thing in most of India, except select states like Goa. Self drive cars were available in some cities but not bikes. But then, this landscape is fast changing. From what I know, WickedRide was the first major bike rental firm to commence operation in India, but they only had super expensive bikes and in early days, didn’t have regulatory support (black plate with yellow support). After that, over years, several agencies have come up, offering two wheelers on rent at affordable rates. Royal Brothers is a major player, with coverage across several South Indian cities and 3 international cities as well (Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket). I’ve rented from them in Mangaluru, Phuket and one more is planned this weekend. OnnBikes is another major player in this fast growing bike rental market. We did a trip with them to Wayanad last weekend and I got to interact with its key staff, to get some insights into the bike rental business. If you need some transport to move around a city for a few days, renting a bike is a lot cheaper, convenient and highly flexible option than other options such as using cabs, auto or public transportation. Bikes need less space- easy to park or maneuver in traffic infested cities, consume less fuel hence cheaper to run. For biking enthusiasts, rentals allow them to ride super expensive bikes, (which they can’t afford to buy or not worth buying) for a few k rupees a day.

With that background, main objective of this post is to compare two key players in Bengaluru’s bike rental business- Royal Brothers and ONN Bikes.

#	Factor	Royal Brothers	ONN Bikes	Remarks
1	Station Opening hours	9.30 AM to 8.30 PM	9 AM to 9 PM	may vary by city
2	Tax	Extra (18% over display amount)	Included in displayed rental
3	Pickup & Drop	Not available	Not available
4	One way rental	Not available	Not available
5	Extra Helmet	100 Rs + 18% tax	Option not available to specify, can call customer care n book jackets etc
6	Weekend rental- 24 hours, RE Bullet Classic 350	Rs 1128 + 18 % tax 240 kms free, Rs 5 per extra km	Rs 899, inclusive of tax 217 kms free, Rs 3 per extra km	Fuel Extra, ONN Bikes is about 30-40% cheaper
7	Weekend Rental- 24 hours, Honda Activa	Rs 408+ 18% tax 120 kms free, Rs 3 per extra km	Rs 349 , inclusive of tax 217 kms free, Rs 2 per extra km	Fuel Extra, ONN Bikes is about 30-40% cheaper
8	No of stations (pickup/delivery centres)	About 10	About 9
9	Bike options- High End	10 high end bikes including Street 750, Z800, TNT 600i etc	NA
10	Bike Options-Mid range	Dominar, KTMs, Royal Enfields, Avengers	CBR150, Royal Enfields, Avengers, Donimar 400, KTM250
11	Bike options- Budget	5 scooter models, few budget bikes	Activa, Navi, Dio, Pulsar, CT100, Hornet etc
12	Ease of booking	Easy	Easy
13	Speed limit/ Deposit	100 kmph for RE, 70 for mopeds, 90 for other bikes Rs 500 to 3000	75 for scooters 100 kmph for bikes Rs 500 deposit all bikes
14	Overspeed Penalty	Rs 500+	Rs 200 onwards, after 2 warnings
15	Website	www.royalbrothers.in	www.onnbikes.com
16	Cities in India	30+	3
17	Abroad	3 cities	NA
18	Long term rental	Possible	Possible
19	Minimum Rental duration	1 day for superbikes, 10 hours for others (you can book for 30 min also but will cost full day rent)	4 hours
20	App Support	Available	Available

ONN Bikes have some of the cheapest rentals, inclusive of taxes and more favorable terms. However RB offers more choice, more high end bikes. I am given to understand ONN Bikes is adding more bikes and mopeds in the days to come, giving more choices to their customers and tougher competition to RB.

Accident Liability:
Another big factor you should consider- if there's an accident or major damage, what is your maximum liability?

#	Factor	Royal Brothers	ONN Bikes	Remarks
21	Accident/Damage liability	15000 max for bikes upto 200 cc Up to 25% of bike’s value for bikes above 200 cc	10000 Max for any bikes + Downtime (daily rent * no of days bike takes to get repaired	If you’re renting superbikes, liability may cross several lakh rupees with RB- unnecessary and avoidable risk

ONN bikes may soon be adding KTMs, Mojo, Dominar n Honda Click to its fleet.

RB is self funded start up without VC funding, hence their rentals are slightly higher.

Cancellation policy is more favorable with ONN Bikes- Up to 6 hours before booking start you pay only Rs 100. With RB, if cancelled last minute (up to 24 hours before booking start), you get nothing.

Speed limit is another factor renters should be aware of. It is a pain to constantly keep an eye on the Speedo. My earlier suggestion that rental companies should work with dealer to electronically limit the top speed of bikes so that customers don't have to worry about exceeding top speed n having to pay a penalty is not implemented by any agency. Onn bike claims to charge a penalty only after 2 warnings, which is better than outright penalty charged by other agencies.

One of the biggest deterrent for me is having to wait till 9/10 AM for stations to open. If I arrive in BLR by 6 AM, I have to manage 4 hours on my own before collecting bikes. Car rental stations usually operate from 6 AM to mid night. Also the agencies should consider few counters near Railway stations and airports, so that outstation passengers can get their bikes as soon as they arrive.

Wheelstreet is another player- haven't explored them much.

Read my review of ONN Bikes Avenger Street 220 here , read review of Bajaj Dominar 400 rented from Royal Brothers here.

Disclaimer: All information as available on Operator's website at the time of composing the post. Bike options, rental amount and other terms and subject to change over time. Please cross check with the agencies for latest information.

A list of all bike rentals agencies in Bengaluru is available in this post.