The City of Edinburgh Council finally named the provider of the new cycle hire scheme earlier in the month – and now we can reveal it will be unrolled with an initial 50 e-bikes in the city centre on 3 September.
The new provider, Swedish company Voi, is bringing bikes to The Meadows on Friday to show them off. The council’s contract with Voi begins today and there is an option for the council to renew the deal.
The cost of hiring a bike will be around £2.20 for 20 minutes, meaning that travel from Haymarket to Easter Road stadium costs the same as a bus, and there will be a range of discounts available. There are details on the Voi website.
Pick-up and drop-off parking locations for the bikes will be decided upon by the council and marked out in the app, aiming to keep pavements clear. Customers will have to upload a photo of their parked bike to prove it’s been done properly.
With Voi e-bikes and e-scooters across Europe, Edinburgh becomes the first in Scotland to embrace app-based e-bikes.
We spoke to Transport Convener, Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, who had pressured the council officers to get the scheme underway this month. He said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve returned a cycle hire scheme to Edinburgh. Voi is a highly experienced operator, with many successful schemes across the UK and abroad, and I’m looking forward to working with them in this exciting new chapter for our city.
“The new scheme will allow everyone to be able to move around our city in a healthier and more sustainable way. We’re also ensuring that the scheme is accessible for all our residents and visitors, with a wide range of concessionary and discount fares available.
“We know that the demand and appetite for cycling is already strong, and getting stronger, here in Edinburgh. Just last week we saw the record for daily cycle journeys on Leith Walk being broken with 2,147 at the Picardy Place counter. Meanwhile, our other major active travel routes such as the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) and Roseburn to Union Canal have also seen increasing patronage since opening.
“The scheme will complement our existing active travel and transport infrastructure and enhance connectivity, while also cutting congestion and reducing emissions. I look forward to seeing the benefits the scheme will bring to the city and our residents.”
James Bolton, Voi’s UK General Manager, said: “We’re excited to set up in Scotland, starting in the historic capital.
“We are working closely with the council to make an affordable scheme that is sensitive to, and learns lessons from, the previous scheme and our experience in similar cities like Oxford, Cambridge and Liverpool.
“At Voi we see massive amounts of untapped potential in Scotland, where people are really looking for affordable, quick and convenient ways to get around.”
The city is getting a new bike hire provider on a trial basis for two years. It is four years since the collapse of the Just Eat scheme which was plagued by thefts and vandalism. The new bikes will be parked in geofenced areas which are “dockless” and there will be a payment scheme for any bikes found by the council to be parked in the wrong place or otherwise lost.
Two models of e-bikes will be available in Edinburgh:
- The Explorer 4 e-bike (larger metal basket, softer saddle, easier to make adjustments)
- Explorer Light 1 (25% lighter than standard e-bike models, designed for accessibility)
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
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