E-bike share schemes roll out across UK
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Last year the UK government made £700,000 available to fund e-bike sharing projects across the UK. Spring 2016 sees the winning bidders start to roll out their schemes.
Town centre e-bikes for short term use, e-bikes for tackling some of the UK's steepest hills, specially adapted e-bikes for those with a disability and e-bikes for visitors and staff use in tourist areas were just some of the winning ideas awarded funding whose schemes are now starting to roll out across the UK.
Sustainable transport charity Carplus managed the bidding and awards process, stating online that "By supporting schemes in a range of different settings, the programme will gather evidence on which people, places and journeys are best served by shared electric bikes."
Starting this month, the 10 towns who won government funding will be launching their e-bike schemes.
Benefits of bike share schemes are already apparent. As many as 78% of users reported starting to cycle as a result of the scheme in London as well as a reduction in car use, while the health benefits of attracting new cyclist have been estimated as £370 per cyclist per year (DFT guidance for 2016/17).
With the launch of these schemes across the country, e-bikes are becoming a much more accessible mode of transport, helping to shift the stigma attached to opting for an electric powered bike. Along with the fact that more manufacturers are coming on board and bike shops are changing their attitudes towards stocking e-bikes, this could contribute to a rise in sales of e-bikes here in the UK.
In Germany alone, over 2015 combined sales of eBikes of all makes and model have surpassed the half-million mark for the first time in history. But the trend is European-wide and as the eBike morphs into a more mainstream mode of transport, sales are expected to grow by as much as 33 per cent.
As the e-bike market grows, Cytech aims to provide the skills your workshop technicians need to keep up to date with the new technology. Watch this space for more information on the brand new Cytech technical e-bike course - launching this summer.
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