Aberdeen’s new e-bike hire scheme will be run by a new partnership between Norwegian bike hire company Sharebike and the Big Issue.
Initially, some 450 e-bikes will be installed at various locations around the granite city. Riders will be able to book the bikes primarily through a smartphone app, although web-based and telephone bookings will also be available.
A monthly subscription service will be available when the Big Issue Sharebike scheme launches in late summer.
Furthermore, a GPS system will identify bike availability to start the trip and also the available parking spaces at the end of the journey.
As well as individual subscriptions, Aberdeen City Council said it anticipated interest from businesses looking to increase travel options for their staff to commute to and from work or to travel last miles more sustainably.
Aberdeen City Council co-leader Jenny Laing said: “If we are to achieve local, national and international climate change targets we need to reduce vehicle emissions within the city and encourage more people to use sustainable transport and embrace active travel.
“This scheme will give local residents and visitors the opportunity to travel around the city without adding to their carbon footprint and will ensure Aberdeen is a cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit now and in the future.”
ShareBike will source the e-bikes and develop the app whie The Big Issue will recruit locally to undertake tasks such as bike re-distribution, bike maintenance and battery charging.
John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, said: “We are greatly looking forward to working in partnership with the council to deliver a friendly, accessible service across the area that will, in turn, recruit and retrain unemployed and vulnerable people in the local community and provide them with access to support and services to improve their lives.
“By renting an e-bike from us, you will also be playing your part towards cutting harmful carbon emissions. So, not only will you be doing good for the environment, but you will be doing good for others. You will be ‘biking for good’.”
Read more: The Big Issue partners with ShareBike on e-bike rental initiative
