The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Embark has a new e-bike pricing model
When public e-bikes were mooted for Dundee, it was thought they would be popular with people who commuted.
Instead, the Embark Dundee bikes have mostly been used for leisure.
Managed by Spain-based firm Ride On, more than 16,000 people have used the fleet of 125 bikes, and now the company wants to double the number of e-bikes in the city.
The company has now introduced a “virtual wallet” for users to credit money for trips.
It comes alongside a new charging scheme that sees riders charged for exactly the number of minutes they spend on the bike rather than a time range.
Users can now ride the most popular e-bike route in the city, from Discovery Point to Broughty Ferry – which takes around 25 minutes – for just 85p for an annual or monthly member, or £2.70 for payas-you-go customers.
An annual membership costs £60 a year, and monthly membership costs £12 a month, with both providing discounted prices for e-bike use.
Annual and monthly users must have a minimum credit of 60p to use a bike, then there is an unlock fee of 60p per trip, with the first 20 minutes free, then there is a charge of 5p per minute from 20 minutes to two hours and 18p for every minute over two hours.
There is also a 60p e-bike
and dock booking fee. Payas-you-go customers must have a minimum credit of £2.20 and are charged a £1 unlock fee per trip, with the first 20 minutes costing 6p, then 10p per minute from 20 minutes to two hours and 20p per minute over two hours.
Again, there is a 60p e-bike and dock booking fee.
Brian Bellman, Ride On’s city manager, said: “Embark Dundee really has become part of Dundee’s landscape.
“We’ve been listening to our thousands of riders and, with the aim of doubling users in 2022, we have launched a new pricing model more adapted to their needs.
“We provide one of the
most effective travel solutions in Dundee, and we are committed to encouraging the use of sustainable transportation solutions”.
Residents in the city’s West End recently mounted a successful legal action against Dundee City Council after it approved placing a large e-bike rack on Blackness Avenue.