Largest Scottish bike hire scheme reaches new monthly record
Glasgow’s bike hire scheme has recorded its highest monthly rentals since being launched for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Edinburgh’s scheme is also booming with more than 150,000 hires so far this year.
The schemes enable cyclists to pick up bikes at a network of hire points across the cities and drop them at another.
Glasgow’s, run by nextbike on behalf of the city council, saw rentals increased in July to a new monthly high of 36,250 - 12 per cent up on a year ago.
Total hires have reached 1,064,867 after topping 1m in June. The scheme has more than 700 cycles including some 60 electric bikes.
Nextbike UK managing director Krysia Solheim said: “The people of Glasgow have shown us once again that their love affair with cycling continues to grow month-on-month, which is fantastic to see.
“By making small changes, such as opting to take a nextbike instead of jumping in the car,ourcustomersarehelping to bring about positive changes that will lead to reduced congestion and CO2 levels, and will also help them to be fitter and healthier.
“We hope the changes that people have made over the last few months during lockdown will become habits that people are happy to embrace for the long-term.”
Thomas Cornwallis, coconvener of Gobike, the Strathclyde cycle campaign, said: “We are very glad to see increase in use of hire bike system in Glasgow.
“We hope this increase shows the need for more hire stations around the city to make them available to more people.
“We hope those hiring are enjoying their cycles and the council keeps moving forward in their plans to make the city accessible and safe for everyone who can to cycle.”
In Edinburgh, Just Eat Cycles said it had recorded an average of more than 1,000 hires a day over the last three months.
The scheme, run by Serco for city council-owned Transport for Edinburgh, had more than 150,000 rentals this year.
That compares to 124,000 for the whole of last year.
It has been used by more than 100,000 people this year, with new users averaging 1,000 a week.
The scheme, two years old next month, has 550 conventional bikes and more than 70 electric bikes.
General manager Alex Macdonald said its Portobello and Duke Street in Leith hire points were the most popular.
NHS workers using the scheme have cycled more than 3,700 miles since May.