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Questions over council's £150,000 e-bike scheme

Pembrokeshire Council A black and purple e-bike in a parkPembrokeshire Council
The scheme was introduced in April "to give residents and visitors an alternative method of travel"

A council's £150,000 e-bike scheme will come under the spotlight this week over its availability.

Pembrokeshire council introduced the scheme in April with bikes in Fishguard and Goodwick, Haverfordwest and Tenby.

However, in June, the council reported that the e-bikes in Haverfordwest were unavailable "due to required repairs".

The authority was then forced to cut the night-time availability hours at weekends.

The update prompted comments from members of the public, with a number of people wondering if repairs were needed due to vandalism.

One person claimed people had "found a way to use them for free" while another described the scheme as "a waste of money".

One cyclist found himself with a £57 bill – later refunded – when his e-bike refused to re-start and had to be moved by car.

However, one fan of the scheme said they use the e-bikes a lot.

The bikes are maintained by the scheme provider, Zipp Mobility, with the trial made possible by funding from South West Wales Metro.

The council said in May that the scheme had got off to a "fantastic start".

A question for the next council meeting has asked for the usage figures and a progress update on the scheme.