Wednesday September 3rd 2025
Edinburgh’s new Voi e-bikes spotted last night outside the OMNIN Centre
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Edinburgh’s new Voi cycle hires are available from today as the scheme begins in Edinburgh. After beating rival fims, the capital’s new sole e-bike operator will provide e-bike innercity travel after the last bike hire scheme ended in 2021.
With 2021’s Just Eat bikes ending due to cost and vandalism issues, the new Swedish company Voi have promised to provide an efficient and reliable bike service to the capital.
Operating successful schemes in major European cities such as London, Munich and Barecelona, they have launched their modern e-bike scheme today, planning to put 800 bikes into Edinburgh’s street.
Released yesterday, the scheme’s map showed the scale of the bike’s boundary with users being able to cycle from Powderhall to the Commonwealth Pool and Holyrood to Haymarket with the coverage area being 8km2. Despite this, the zone also sees Bruntsfield cut in half, and it goes inland from the Water of Leith to cut out Dean Village. The coverage area is wider than was expected, with initial suggestions being that it would be limited to the City Centre council ward.
Voi hire bike map
With the city’s population now being able to travel around the city via e-bike, Voi’s new scheme introduces two models to Edinburgh – the Explorer 4 e-bike (large metal basket, softer saddle, easier to make adjustments) and the Explorer Light 1 (25% lighter than standard e-bike models, designed for accessibility).
Voi have set fares at £0.11 per minute of use making it £6.60 per hour.
Unlike the previous Just Eat bikes, the new e-bikes are dockless, meaning that the service can be located, hired and unlocked using a smartphone app and do not require the bikes to be collected and returned to a docking station, instead being left standing up in certain designated locations in the city.
Alongside the new dockless technology, modern tech implemented into the bikes is going to ensure Voi can control the levels of vandalism. Adapting geolocating tech into the new e-cycles to ensure collection if a bike is thrown into one of Edinburgh’s many bodies of water. This is due to worries surrounding the last scheme which saw high levels of vandalism with Voi ensuring that they are aware of the risks and prevention is essential for their scheme.
In collaboration with the Edinburgh City Council, the scheme introduced today will offer another affordable option for car-free travel within the city.
Transport and Environment Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, Stephen Jenkinson, 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. I’d also like to thank Council colleagues who have been able to progress this important scheme quickly and efficiently.
“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.”
With Voi’s UK General Manager expressing his excitement for ‘setting up in Scotland, starting with the historical capital’, he highlighted prior to today that they have seen massive amounts of untapped potential in Scotland for affordable and convenient travel.
As of today, Voi has 50 electric bikes across the 8km2 zone, covering the majority of the city and providing a new, affordable and convenient mode of transport.
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