Santander Cycles Leicester has seen more than 5,000 people register for an introductory offer, which provided discount rides for people who signed up for the scheme.
The e-bike hire programme, launched with Leicester City Council in April, has also seen 10,888 trips made since it started.
Deputy city mayor Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transportation, said: “The response to our new bike share scheme has been fantastic. As soon as people started seeing docking stations for the bikes appearing on our city streets, they wanted to find out more.
“I’m confident that lots of people will continue to use Santander Cycles Leicester to get around now that they know how the scheme works. It is extremely affordable, as well as being easy, convenient, good for your health and better for the environment.”
Once fully operational, Santander Cycles Leicester will feature a fleet of more than 500 bikes and 50 docking stations, making it the largest docked e-bike share scheme in the UK.
It is currently operating with 13 docking stations across the city. The scheme began running for testers in January, before opening up to wider use last month to coincide with the easing of lockdown restrictions.
The £600,000 project is being funded by a partnership made up of Leicester City Council, following the council’s successful bid to the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities fund, with sponsorship from Santander UK and additional investment from the operator, Ride On, and their delivery partner Enzen Global.
Furthermore, the council is working to develop better active travel links as well as upgrading to an electric park and ride system, following a total investment of £80m from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
