Cyclists using an ebike scheme – co-funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – have travelled 100,000 miles since its launch, in under a year.
ebikes Derby was launched in June 2018; with 200 bikes available at 30 ‘docking stations’ in around Derby city for users. The idea is to provide commuters and students with a sustainable, low-cost transport option.
Derby City Council successfully bid for £450,000 from the D2N2 LEP’s Local Growth Fund allocation, as part of the LEP’s support for ‘sustainable transport’ in its area, with the Council match funding this amount. A further £100,000 was invested by the University of Derby to cover operational costs.
Customers sign up to use the scheme via an online app. They have an account number with a pin number, which they tap into a screen on the rear of the ebike to begin their rental period. Bikes cost 3p per minute, with a minimum charge of £1 per rental and a maximum daily charge of £12. The ebikes can be returned to any docking station but can also be locked to other cycle parking.
A new station is due to be set-up outside DHU Healthcare, on Locomotive Way on the Pride Park business park, close to Derby College, later this month (February) and a second ‘virtual’ docking station has gone live at Derby city centre bus station.
To celebrate reaching the 100,000 miles milestone, the scheme’s current ‘Number 1’ ebike is to be named after world record breaking Derby cyclist, Leigh Timmis. Leigh cycled through ten European countries in just under 16.5days in September 2018.
Tom Goshawk, Capital Projects Manager for the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Sustainable transport options make for a better environment to live and work in, and bring economic benefits for our area around reduced congestion and increasing its attractiveness to companies and investors. That is why the D2N2 LEP is investing significantly in schemes such as ebikes Derby and we are pleased to see its most recent success.”
The website for the ebikes Derby scheme, run for Derby by UK bike rental company Hourbike, is at link www.ebikesderby.com/
For further information on how the D2N2 LEP is using its Local Growth Fund allocation to invest in infrastructure, which directly benefits its area’s (Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire) economy, see its website at www.d2n2lep.org/Local-Growth-Fund
Media wanting further information about the D2N2 LEP can contact D2N2 Communications Manager Sean Kirby on 0115 957 8749 or email: sean.kirby@d2n2lep.org
