Leeds City Bikes: E-bike rental scheme launches

An electric bike rental scheme has launched at dozens of sites in Leeds.

Leeds City Bikes can be hired from docking stations in and around the city centre, the e-bike firm Beryl said.

The £2.8m scheme will see 300 e-bikes available across 40 locations via an app, with plans to expand the offering in the coming months.

Leeds City Council, which invited bids for the contract in 2022, previously said the rental costs will be "comparable to public transport fares".

It is hoped the e-bikes will encourage more people in the city to cycle instead of using cars.

There are 40 docking bays in Leeds at present, the local authority said, with 200 bikes available to be rented out over the coming weeks.

A further 100 will be added throughout autumn, the council added.

Beryl currently runs 12 other e-bike hire schemes across England, with the first phase of the launch in Leeds mainly covering the city centre.

A fee of £10 will be charged to the user for e-bikes abandoned outside of an official parking bay.

The firm is named after legendary Leeds cyclist Beryl Burton, who won 96 national championships and seven world titles.

Burton, who was the best British all-rounder for 25 years in a row, died in 1996.

Councillor Helen Hayden, the council's executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: "A public bike hire scheme has been a long ambition of Leeds and it's a crucial part of offering quick and sustainable journeys across the city centre.

"We want Leeds to be a city where you don't need to own a car and a key part of that is expanding and supporting our cycling network."

The service secured funding through the West Yorkshire mayoral devolution deal.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: "We want to create a stronger and better-connected region so everyone has the same opportunity to get on in life.

"And a reliable and inclusive transport network, which puts walking and cycling at the heart of our everyday journeys, is key to this."

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