Leicester’s e-bike hire service has already had more than 14,000 people signing up to rent an electric bike, as the council plans to roll out 500 e-bikes across the city centre.
This is Santander Cycle’s first e-bike hire scheme, with the company adding it will be the largest docked e-bike initiative in the UK when all the bikes take to the road. There will be 50 stations located at key points across the city centre.
The £600,000 project is being funded by Leicester City Council after the council’s successful bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) – with sponsorship by Santander UK and investment from operator Ride On and their delivery partner Enzen Global.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transport, said: “Leicester is a cycling city. Our new e-bike share scheme is part of our commitment to cycling and to the ongoing challenge of the climate emergency. It’s also an important part of our Covid-19 transport recovery plan.
“Opting to travel by bike is a great choice to make – for your own health, for our city’s air quality and for the environment. It also helps to support our local economy, with our growing network of people-friendly streets benefitting small, independent local businesses.
“We’ve developed an inclusive, affordable and accessible e-bike share scheme to help to make cycling the preferred option for many of our diverse communities, joining the 18,000 people that already choose to travel regularly in Leicester by bike.”
The e-bike hire scheme was visited by Olympic field athlete and Santander brand ambassador Jessica Ennis-Hill this week [20 September]. Commenting on the scheme, Ennis-Hill, said: “E-bikes are a fantastic choice because they make cycling even more easy and accessible, giving you a boost of extra power when you need it.
“It’s great to see these bikes on the streets of Leicester and people out and about using them, making the most of the city’s impressive network of safe cycle routes. I hope lots of people will give Santander Cycles Leicester a try and become regular users of the scheme.”
Read more: Santander extends sponsorship of London’s bike rental scheme
