Electric bike hire scheme approved

Similar schemes have worked successfully in other parts of the country

A new electric bike hire scheme will begin in Bradford in 2025 after being approved by the city council.

The scheme will be funded by cash raised from the city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charge.

Users will be able to hire the e-bikes from docking stations, due to be located at significant locations around the area, and then return them to either the same or another docking station when they have finished their journey.

The council has approved funding of about £800,000 and will search for an operator to run the system.

The CAZ was introduced in September 2022 in a bid to cut pollution and imposes a charge on commercial vehicles which do not meet emission standards.

It had raised more than £10m in charges and fines by the end of 2023, but the money raised can only be spent on schemes designed to improve air quality.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said £800,000 from that income would be used to establish and market the e-bike hire scheme.

At a meeting of the council's executive board, Andrew Whittles, assistant director for sustainability, said: “The clean air zone money has to be spent in line with the terms of the charging scheme, and cycling is one area where we are allowed to spend this money.

"We’ve seen with the many other schemes developed in the UK that it takes around 18 months to become sustainable."

He said Bradford University and Bradford College had both expressed interest in sponsoring the scheme, as had Bradford 2025.

Councillors were told that the NHS were also keen to be involved, with possible docking bays at local hospitals.

When it begins, the scheme would have up to 200 electric bikes at 50 docking stations across the district.

Any profit generated by the scheme would be split between the council and the operator.

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