Cardiff On Street Cycle Hire Scheme
Published on 29.12.2017
Cardiff Council secures world leading docked bike hire scheme
nextbike is a world-renowned bike share provider and will manage 500 bikes across 50 docking stations in the city. The first phase of the scheme will be in place by May 2018 with the rest of the bikes on street within a short timescale.
Cllr Caro Wild, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Planning and Transport welcomed the announcement, saying:
“We are delighted to welcome nextbike into Cardiff. A bike hire scheme is a vital part of a true cycling city and I am delighted nextbike have recognised the great potential for cycling in Cardiff. We’ve seen in London how their bike scheme really increased the accessibility and visibility of bikes and we think nextbike will do the same for Cardiff. Cardiff is a compact and relatively flat city so cycling is a good option for shorter journeys. This scheme is only part of the Cabinet’s plans to improve the cycling infrastructure to encourage people that live in or close to the city to leave their cars at home and consider alternative options”
“We know there will be huge demand for these bikes and interest in the location of the docking stations. We would encourage the public’s feedback and ask people to fill in a short online questionnaire with their ideas https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=151249355464”
The bikes use advanced technology and enhanced security features, including integrated front locks and GPS tracking.
Julian Scriven, MD of Nextbike UK has said that the benefits to Cardiff will be enormous.
Mr Scriven said: “From reducing congestion and creating new jobs, to improving health and mobility, bikeshare is having a real impact wherever it goes.
“Our research shows that bike sharing users spend more at local stores, property prices by docking stations increase and car parking demand falls, as does congestion and the resulting pollution.”
Mr Scriven has set out that he is keen to integrate the bikes with both existing and future transport operators. Schemes in America and Slovakia use a one-card-for-all approach which allows the customer to interchange between bike, bus, rail or trams without using different payment methods.
The company provides more than 120 schemes across four continents in the world. In the UK, their first scheme was launched in Bath in 2014 and they now operate in Milton Keynes, Exeter, Belfast, Edinburgh and the University of Warwick.
The Welsh Government recently awarded capital funding to support the implementation of the scheme in the city.