New pay-as-you-go e-bike scheme announced for Derby

The new Lime e-bikes will have a 64km (40 mile) range

A new pay-as-you-go electric bike hire scheme is to be rolled out in Derby in 2023.

Shared electric vehicle firm Lime is to make 550 bikes available to Derby City Council.

An initial launch will see 150 bikes available from city locations in the spring, with the rest coming on line at a later stage.

The council said it hoped motorists would switch from their cars to the bikes to cut congestion and pollution.

'Sustainable'

The authority is planning to re-invest money secured from the Department for Transport (DfT), which had initially been allocated to the scheme, to support cycle infrastructure within local communities and popular cycle locations.

The council said the bikes would have a range of 64km (40 miles) with swappable and replaceable batteries which will be monitored by Lime.

Steve Hassall, cabinet member for regeneration, decarbonisation, strategic planning and transport, said: "E-bikes are an excellent alternative to shorter car journeys, providing citizens with a clean, convenient and cheaper transport option.

"This scheme is another step towards our ambition to make electric transport more accessible within Derby and achieve our target to become carbon neutral by 2035."

Senior public affairs manager for Lime in the UK Hal Stevenson said: "Our new service will offer residents and visitors a new active and sustainable travel option to get around the city."

The e-bikes will be available for hire through a Lime app and will cost £1 to unlock and then 17p per minute, although Lime said there would be a discount for lower income residents.

A previous scheme was scrapped in 2019 after vandalism left more than two-thirds of the fleet unusable but the council said it had added increased security.