All-electric bike hire scheme to be launched in Edinburgh by next summer - here's how it would work

The City of Edinburgh Council is talking to four potential operators, which The Scotsman understands include Voi, Lime and Dott.

Unlike the previous Just Eat Cycles scheme operated by Serco, the operation would be run at no cost to the council.

However, the scheme would only offer e-bikes rather than traditional cycles because Edinburgh is a “relatively hilly city”.

Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said lessons had been learned from the previous scheme, which suffered from significant theft and vandalism and was ended after three years.

Bike hire locations would be initially limited to the city centre, while more sophisticated immobiliser technology would make it harder for the bikes to be ridden away illegally.

Rental stations, which would be dockless, would also be covered by CCTV and be in well-lit areas.

Mr Jenkinson said there was an opportunity to “reimagine” Edinburgh’s cycle hire scheme after the previous one cost the council £1.5 million a year.

He said: “We are keen to see a cycle hire scheme delivered at pace and hopefully in time for next summer.”

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A report to the council’s transport and environment committee on December 12 said a no-cost-to-the-council operation was a “proven approach that can ensure a high-quality and safe operation without the need for complex procurement and could leverage other public bike share operations in neighbouring cities to ensure the service is operationally sound and financially sustainable”.

“Active travel [such as cycling] is recognised as a key factor in the reduction of emissions associated with vehicular transport,” the report said. “Measures which increase active travel uptake will make a positive contribution to carbon emissions reductions and improved air quality.

“The project allows some people to cycle who would otherwise be unable to do so due to affordability or storage issues.”

Mr Jenkinson said the Just Eat Cycles scheme had been “not without its challenges”. The scheme’s popularity grew rapidly, with annual hires doubling to 250,000 by its second year when it expanded as far as Musselburgh.

However, the scale of the scheme’s vandalism problems came in stark contrast to Glasgow’s hire initiative, which was launched to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in 2014. It now boasts some 1,200 bikes for hire at more than 100 hire stations, with 500,000 rentals a year.

Mr Jenkinson also left the door open on a possible electric scooter rental trial in Edinburgh, if legislation was changed to permit their operation on roads in Scotland. A leading operator predicted one would be held in a Scottish city next year.

Trials have been underway in dozens of English towns and cities since 2020 and Mr Jenkinson described e-scooters as an “interesting proposition that should be considered”.

He said “it is not something I would discount or discourage” and it was “something we should be thinking about”.

Riding privately-owned e-scooters remains illegal on both sides of the Border on all but private land with the owner’s permission.