THE City of Edinburgh Council has said that the e-bike hire scheme launched at the beginning of September will expand massively in the coming weeks.
The scheme, in partnership with Swedish firm Voi Technology, will expand rapidly, going from just 50 bikes available to around 340.
The coverage area of the bikes will be expanded westward and northward from the capital’s New Town and Old Town areas to include Holyrood Park, Meadowbank, Bonnington, Leith, and Newhaven.
The council and Voi Technology are working to see the cycle hire schemes coverage expand to cover the entire city by the end of the year.
The council claims that, since going live at the start of last month, Edinburgh’s Voi Bikes have been used by more than 5,800 unique riders and have covered more than 60,000 kilometres in total.
The council believes that these figures are indicative of the early success of the scheme and hope they can be scaled up going forward.
A map shared by the council shows in detail the areas which the cycle hire scheme will expand to.
The changes will come into effect on Halloween, 31 October.
Transport and environment convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m delighted that we’re moving to the next phase of expanding our cycle hire scheme.
“The figures we’ve seen speak for themselves in terms of uptake, with hundreds of journeys being made across our city each and every day.
“I’ve no doubt that the scheme will continue to go from strength to strength and before long everyone in Edinburgh will be able to take advantage of this accessible, affordable, and sustainable way of getting around.
“Our wider commitment to making our city a better place for everyone is evidenced in our ambitious city mobility plan alongside our commitment to tackling the climate emergency.”
Fares for the e-bike scheme were initially set at £6.60 per hour, or £0.11 per minute.
There are, however, 50% discounts for those on low incomes, the disabled, students, apprentices and over-60s.
James Bolton, Voi’s UK General Manager, said: “We are pleased to expand our service in Edinburgh, offering more people the chance to travel affordably, sustainably and safely.
“The demand for our e-bikes has been huge, and we want to meet this demand while avoiding street clutter and keeping the people of Edinburgh safe.
“We are working closely with the council and following the data to scale up our operations carefully and sustainably.”
The Voi bike scheme represents Edinburgh’s first foray into electric bicycle hire schemes since the end of the ill-fated Just Eat cycle hire scheme.
That scheme ended in ignominy in 2021 due to vandalism and maintenance costs.
Cycles under that scheme were often thrown in the Water of Leith and other bodies of water in the capital.
There have already been some suggestions of criminality connected with Edinburgh’s new e-bikes, as youths were spotted using Voi cycles in an abortive attempt to steal another private bike.
Edinburgh’s adoption of the Voi cycle hire scheme was closely followed by Glasgow, whose council will roll out Voi bikes after 10 November.
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