An electric bike rental scheme launched in Leeds a month ago has been hailed as a success by the council.

Leeds City Bikes can be hired from docking stations in the city centre, along with further bays in Holbeck, Hyde Park, Woodhouse and Headingley.

Manufacturers Beryl said there were 200 currently available, with the number set to rise to 650 in spring.

Leeds City Council said each bike was averaging almost three trips a day, exceeding the team's expectations.

The local authority confirmed some bikes had been vandalised or stolen over the last four weeks, but did not provide statistics when asked by BBC Yorkshire.

The pay-as-you-ride costs are £1 to unlock the bike then 16p a minute, with other longer-term passes available.

The scheme has seen 3,276 users of the service
Each bike has averaged almost three journeys a day
The total distance covered was about 4,970 miles (8,000km)
The most popular day to use a Leeds City Bike was on a Saturday
The busiest bays were Woodhouse Moor North in Hyde Park and Shire Oak Road in Headingley.

Leeds City Council said its high usage in the Hyde Park and Headingley areas suggested students were using the scheme as a "quick way to get to university and back".

Councillor Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate, said the costs of hire were cheaper than getting a taxi or driving.

"If you are getting on a bus you're travelling in a sustainable way and taking congestion off the roads," she said.

"If you're waiting for a bus and maybe the bus isn't the time you want or going to the place you want, these are another alternative."

Discussing anti-social behaviour, Beryl co-founder Philip Ellis said: "Whenever something like this gets put into the public realm we always expect a bit of vandalism, a bit of damage and losing a few bikes.

"That indeed has been the case in Leeds, but we've worked with the team on the ground recovering bikes, West Yorkshire Police has been getting involved as well to try to track down bikes."

He said the usage figures in Leeds were encouraging, adding: "The plan has always been to have a relatively tight city centre scheme over this first winter.

"We're then going to roll it out a bit further into the suburbs and crucially increasing the number of bikes - getting up to 650 in the spring."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-67132210

On 17/10/2023 04:33 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> An electric bike rental scheme launched in Leeds a month ago has been hailed as a success by the council.
>
> Leeds City Bikes can be hired from docking stations in the city centre, along with further bays in Holbeck, Hyde Park, Woodhouse and Headingley.
>
> Manufacturers Beryl said there were 200 currently available, with the number set to rise to 650 in spring.
>
> Leeds City Council said each bike was averaging almost three trips a day, exceeding the team's expectations.
>
> The local authority confirmed some bikes had been vandalised or stolen over the last four weeks, but did not provide statistics when asked by BBC Yorkshire.
>
> The pay-as-you-ride costs are £1 to unlock the bike then 16p a minute, with other longer-term passes available.
>
> The scheme has seen 3,276 users of the service
> Each bike has averaged almost three journeys a day
> The total distance covered was about 4,970 miles (8,000km)
> The most popular day to use a Leeds City Bike was on a Saturday
> The busiest bays were Woodhouse Moor North in Hyde Park and Shire Oak Road in Headingley.
>
> Leeds City Council said its high usage in the Hyde Park and Headingley areas suggested students were using the scheme as a "quick way to get to university and back".
>
> Councillor Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate, said the costs of hire were cheaper than getting a taxi or driving.
>
> "If you are getting on a bus you're travelling in a sustainable way and taking congestion off the roads," she said.
>
> "If you're waiting for a bus and maybe the bus isn't the time you want or going to the place you want, these are another alternative."
>
> Discussing anti-social behaviour, Beryl co-founder Philip Ellis said: "Whenever something like this gets put into the public realm we always expect a bit of vandalism, a bit of damage and losing a few bikes.
>
> "That indeed has been the case in Leeds, but we've worked with the team on the ground recovering bikes, West Yorkshire Police has been getting involved as well to try to track down bikes."
>
> He said the usage figures in Leeds were encouraging, adding: "The plan has always been to have a relatively tight city centre scheme over this first winter.
>
> "We're then going to roll it out a bit further into the suburbs and crucially increasing the number of bikes - getting up to 650 in the spring."
>
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-67132210

By how many hundreds of pounds per hiring (or, if you prefer, per hour)
is the scheme being subsidised by net taxpayers?

QUOTE: Councillor Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate, said the costs of hire were cheaper than getting a taxi or driving. "If you are getting on a bus you're travelling in a sustainable way and taking congestion off the roads," she said. ENDS

Obviously.

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
> On 17/10/2023 04:33 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

>> An electric bike rental scheme launched in Leeds a month ago has been
>> hailed as a success by the council.

As a famous young lady might have said…They would say that.

>> "We're then going to roll it out a bit further into the suburbs and
>> crucially increasing the number of bikes - getting up to 650 in the spring."

>> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-67132210

> By how many hundreds of pounds per hiring (or, if you prefer, per hour)
> is the scheme being subsidised by net taxpayers?

The OP didn’t show up on my system, but a search shows that Mason has
originated three other threads that mention Councillor Helen Hayden; one in
May and two in September. Perhaps he’s got the hots for her, who knows?

--
Spike

More than 1,600 trips have been made on the new e-bikes for hire in Leeds since they arrived in the city centre just over a week ago.

Initial uptake of the scheme has been positive, with more 1,200 users covering 375km in the first week. The figures have been released following an official celebration to mark the launch of Leeds City Bikes on Saturday (23 September).

Residents and community groups were joined at the launch event by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, Cllr Helen Hayden, Leeds’ Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate, and Phil Ellis, CEO of bike operator Beryl.

People were invited to join a series of free led rides on Leeds’ growing cycling network, with more than 10km of segregated lanes in the city centre alone.

Leeds City Bikes is a fully electric public bike hire service delivered by Beryl in partnership with Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate, said:

“It was a fantastic day on Cookridge Street with lots of different kinds of people interested in learning more about the public e-bike hire service which has been a long ambition of this council, and it’s great to see them on the streets being hired.

“We want our city to be one that provides a full and comprehensive transport network and an e-bike scheme is a crucial part of that - offering quick and sustainable journeys across the city centre. We want Leeds to be a city where you don’t need to own a car and a key part of that is expanding and supporting our cycling network.”

This first phase of the rollout this autumn will see up to 300 bikes at 40 docking locations across the city centre and along key routes to the south and north-west. Further bikes will be delivered in 2024, with numbers doubling to 600 by spring.

The £2.86 million scheme has been made possible thanks to funding secured through the West Yorkshire Mayoral devolution deal.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“It’s been wonderful to see people using the e-bikes this week and I’m looking forward to seeing even more over the coming weeks and months.

“Changing our travel habits is about having access to different options – and e-bike hire is now one of those.

“A reliable and inclusive transport network, which puts cycling and walking at the heart of our everyday lives, is key to our plans for a stronger and better-connected region.”

Phil Ellis CEO of Beryl, said:

“Events like this are vital to the successful integration of any new shared sustainable transport scheme as they give people the chance to come along, ask questions, try out the service and learn about how it can benefit them, both individually and as part of a city region.

“It was great to see so many people come down and show their support and enthusiasm for what we are trying to achieve here; which is to break down the barriers to active travel, improve public health and decarbonise transport by reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.

“The e-bikes are not only convenient, simple to use and fun, they can also save you a lot of money compared to private vehicle use, removing the costs associated with fuel, parking, tax, maintenance, storage, parking, MOT and insurance.”

Dr Robin Lovelace, Associate Professor of Transport Data Science at Leeds University, said:

“Investment in active travel is a win-win-win for health, air quality and the local economy. The new bike hire scheme will let people in the University of Leeds and city communities try out cycling on a secure, well-maintained electric-assisted bike. Combined with investment in active travel and public transport measures, this will enable more trips to be made without the costs of cars.

“The scheme aligns with the University of Leeds Climate Plan and will enable more students to get around on their own steam at a pivotal moment in their lives. E-bikes are a quietly revolutionary technology that can increase transport equality. This scheme will accelerate their uptake across the city.”

Find out more information about Leeds City Bikes on our website.

ENDS