What next for e-bike hire schemes in Derby?

Have vandals driven electric bike operators out of Derby for good?

Operator Lime is currently withdrawing its infrastructure from the city's streets after pulling its scheme in the face of extreme vandalism in August.

The firm launched with 130 pay-as-you-go e-bikes in 2023, but attacks on their vehicles made the service unreliable for users.

Lime said anti-social behaviour was not uncommon for such schemes, particularly in the UK - but in Derby it could not overcome the vicious circle of dwindling usage and rising repair bills.

E-bike and e-scooter hire programmes up and down the UK, from London to Leeds Bristol, have reported problems, with vandalism often putting a strain on schemes.

Inverness operator Hitrans had to suspend e-bike hires for about a month in the summer to carry out repairs.

But Derby is the only city since the pandemic where an operator has withdrawn in the face of prolonged, targeted damage to its bikes and infrastructure.

And Derby has seen the same happen before too - in 2019, the e-bike scheme being run by Hourbike was scrapped after a year as vandalism had left more than two-thirds of the fleet unusable.

So does this mean the end of the road for an e-bike scheme in Derby?

In August, Derby City Council said it was "optimistic" a similar scheme could "thrive" in the city "under the right conditions".

When approached by the BBC, the authority did not wish to discuss further what these right conditions might be - instead pointing to its previous statement.

It said: "We regret that Lime has chosen to withdraw their e-bikes from Derby.

"While the scheme faced certain operational challenges, we remain optimistic that a well-managed e-bike initiative can thrive in our city under the right conditions.

"It's important to note that this scheme was entirely funded by Lime, with no financial burden on the council.

"We continue to explore and support sustainable transport solutions that align with Derby's long-term vision for improved transport and a sustainable future."

Lime told the BBC it had worked with the council to find a way to make its service work, as well as involving police in every instance of vandalism to combat the issues it was facing, and working to attract new customers - including offering discounts for University of Derby students.

But it said the level of anti-social behaviour in Derby was "distinct".

Alice Pleasant, senior public affairs manager at Lime, said: "I don't think it's as rare in the UK as potentially it may seem, but there's a difference between smaller scale vandalism that we can cover the cost of to really substantial vandalism.

"We lost vehicles being thrown into the river. Once those vehicles are submerged, it's very hard for us to repair them.

"We were seeing damage to the frames of the vehicle, damage to the motors of the vehicle - very difficult things to to replace consistently in high quantities."

But Ms Pleasant said schemes were not "one size fits all" and Lime had encountered a willingness for a scheme like theirs to work in Derby.

She said: "I know their council officers are really keen to get sustainable transport options into the city.

"There are lots of different schemes across the country that run in different ways, and it is just this shared model hasn't worked this time.

"All I can say is that for us, this scale of vandalism meant that we did exhaust all options in terms of trying.

"It's really disappointing. Everyone should be able to access sustainable transport, and everyone should be able to have these opportunities."

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