Plymouth people have well and truly got on their e-bikes with 15,000 journeys made on Beryl bikes since their launch in the city in March.
The e-bikes were introduced as part of Connect Plymouth, the Council’s sustainable transport initiative that integrates three new components – e-bikes, electric vehicle charging bays and an electric car club – with existing public transport including buses, ferries and trains.
There are now 50 e-bike sites – including one recently installed at Mount Wise pools – and over the coming two months, an additional 40 will be installed and available to use in the e-bike network.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This scheme has got off to a flying start. Together all these users have cycled over 40,000km, that’s equivalent to around the world.
“These bikes are a great alternative to short car trips. Not only are they fun and convenient, they are helping to keep carbon emissions down. We have committed to being greener as a city and making low carbon ways for getting around easier and more attractive.”
Beryl Scheme Leader for Plymouth, Kate Palmer, said: “We’ve been delighted with the initial response to our scheme and the numbers show that it’s already making a significant contribution towards decarbonising the city’s transport system. Direct feedback from our users shows that the journeys replaced have avoid almost two tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide emissions.
“With the warm summer weather and longer days, now is a great time to give our e-bikes a try - they’re fun, easy to use, convenient and a great way to stay active and boost your mental and physical health.
“They’re also cost effective when compared to private vehicle ownership, removing the need to pay for petrol, maintenance, tax, MOT, insurance and storage.”
When fully operational the city will have 500 e-bikes, 300 new electric vehicle charging bays and an electric car club. The locations will be spread across the city, improving access and helping to make journeys more efficient, saving money, carbon and time.
Rapid electric vehicle chargers have now gone live in the City Centre, Manadon and Stoke and work is continuing to grow the infrastructure with more rapid chargers being installed in the summer, including in Plympton and Mount Batten.
Plymouth is helping to remove private cars off of roads by using car club vehicles. The first Co Cars electric vehicle has been used four times more than a typical private car since the launch. On average, once established, each car club vehicle typically removes 8.5 private vehicles off the road public and businesses.
Users are able to park the Car Club vehicle for free in any residential parking zone within Plymouth during its hire and it can be booked from minutes to days.
Connect Plymouth has been funded through the Department of Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund, which aims to change people’s travel habits by making it as easy as possible for people to choose low carbon options to get about.
Connect Plymouth will be at Armed Forces Day on Plymouth Hoe on 24 June where you can learn more about Connect Plymouth and try Beryl e-bikes for free.
Visit connectplymouth.org for more information.