'Incredible popularity' of new Edinburgh electric bike hire scheme Voi fuels 3rd expansion in 5 months
Cycle fleet increased to 700 after nearly 200,000 rides since September
Edinburgh’s new electric bike hire scheme has been a runaway success with nearly twice as many trips in its first five months as its predecessor managed in the first year, according to analysis by The Scotsman.
The city council announced on Tuesday that the Voi operation had clocked up 188,000 rides since September as it revealed the scheme was being extended for the third time and the number of bikes increased by nearly half to just over 700.
It spread north east from the city centre to Leith in October and south to Morningside in December.
The rides figure compares to 100,000 by Just Eat Cycles in its first 12 months after being launched in September 2018, and 124,000 for the whole of 2019.
It closed in 2021 over vandalism problems and the cost of the scheme to the council.
The Voi scheme was expanded on Tuesday with an extra 220 bikes and its area increased by about a fifth to cover Stockbridge, Inverleith, Craigleith and part of Ravelston, with the boundary extended north and west as far as Ferry Road and Telford Road.
The council said 26,500 riders had used the scheme, covering 284,000 miles (457,000 km) - 11 times round the Earth.
The number of bikes will be further increased up to the original target for the two-year pilot of 800 by the end of February, with the council to “consider further expansion where appropriate”.
However, the scheme was criticised by the Scottish Greens last week for bikes blocking pavements and occupying existing cycle parking spaces.
Council transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “The uptake figures we've recorded since launching have been ground breaking, showing an average of over 1,000 journeys per day.
“We saw our highest ever single total just last week, with almost 17,000 trips recorded across seven days.
“The data speaks for itself in terms of the scheme's incredible popularity and success.
“It’s great to see people enjoying this convenient, economical, and environmentally friendly way to get around.”
Voi also took over Glasgow City Council’s established cycle hire scheme in November with 1,000 e-bikes in a three-year contract.
The Swedish firm operates e-bikes and e-scooters in 22 towns and cities in the UK among more than 100 across Europe, with a total of 51 million UK trips in since launching them in 2020.
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