From August 1 new charges will be introduced on BTN BikeShare to help with the cost of running the scheme and ensure its continued success.
IT is the first time since the bike hire scheme was launched in September 2017 that the cost of hiring a bike has been reviewed.
Introducing a revised tariff structure will bring it in line with similar national and South East schemes. The revised structure will include an unlock fee that overall will better reflect and support the type of trips being made.
For Pay As You Go customers, the main changes include:
♦ The introduction of a £1 fee to unlock the bike
♦ A charge of 3p per minute from the first minute
There will also be a change to the free daily period for those with annual memberships, from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. This will be for new applicants and will only affect current members when they renew their subscription.
Since launching in 2017, BTN BikeShare users have made 650,000 trips covering 1.25 million miles. It is popular with both residents and visitors and has 80,000 subscribers and growing daily.
The scheme recently expanded with an additional 120 bikes and more hubs installed in the west of the city and it is now an integral part of the city’s public transport system.
In the 2018 COMO UK independent survey of BikeShare users, 93% of respondents agreed that the bike share scheme has enhanced public transport.
Developing better cycling routes and encouraging the use of the bike share scheme are part of the council’s plan to encourage sustainable, active travel. The development of 38km of cycle lanes has led to a doubling of cycling to work in the city in the last 10 years and continued investment by the council in cycling infrastructure will see the development of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan over the next year.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Anne Pissaridou said: “The BTN Bikeshare scheme has been hugely successful since it was introduced in the city two years ago. Owing to its popularity with residents, the scheme has recently been expanded in the west of the city and in total there are now 570 bikes at 68 hubs.
“We want to ensure that the scheme can continue to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. With the expansion of the scheme and its growing popularity, the new tariff rates will help us ensure its continued success and future development.
“This is the first time since the scheme was launched that we have increased the cost of hiring a bike and all revenue made by the council from the scheme is invested back into it.”