People living in Derby can look forward to getting their cycling boots on as Derby City Council have partnered with Lime to bring a fleet of new e-bikes for hire across the city.
The addition of the new e-bikes is hoped to encourage those in Derby to embrace more sustainable and affordable transport, while also lowering their carbon footprint.
Lime is the world’s largest shared e-scooter and e-bike operator in the UK and over 1.5 million people have ridden with Lime since its launch in 2018.
These e-bikes have been previously introduced in multiple locations across the UK such as Nottingham and London.
Derby City Council’s director of transportation Verna Bayliss has spoken about the introduction of the new scheme and said: “We are very excited to announce and welcome Lime and their fleet of e-bikes to Derby.
“The new e-bikes are going to offer a brilliant travel alternative to citizens which will benefit them in multiple ways. Lime bikes will provide users with clean, convenient and a cheaper way to travel compared to current travel options.”
Residents of Derby will be able to use the latest Gen4 e-bike model which will be available to hire through the Lime app and Uber app. In order to make sure that users are riding responsibly, there will be dedicated parking zones which have been agreed in advance with Derby City Council.
Users will have to go to these zones to pick up and drop off the bikes when hiring. If this is not adhered to then the user will be fined. There will also be speed restrictions imposed on the bikes when cycling in busy areas.
Bayliss said: “Our teams have been working closely alongside Lime to bring e-bikes to key locations across Derby, whilst also making sure that they will be parked properly and used safely.
“The bikes will have speed restrictions in busy areas of the city where there are typically lots of pedestrians to ensure that all citizens feel safe as well as those who are on board the bikes themselves.”
Prices for the bikes start at a fixed rate of £1 to unlock an e-bike and then 19p per minute to ride. The average journey cost for a user is between £3.50-£4.50, making it a cheap way for all residents to get around.
Bike company EFS Wheels owner and local Derby resident Bailey Wilmot has said he is thrilled with the decision to add e-bikes into the city’s transport infrastructure, as it will encourage all individuals to get fit while also helping reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
Wilmot said: “I think the council have done a brilliant job by introducing the Lime bikes to Derby. As an enthusiastic cyclist, I of course care about others taking up cycling for the first time.
“With the e-bikes being so cheap and accessible, I hope that people will decide to give cycling another go, or maybe add it to their routine by cycling to work if possible.”
The scheme has installed 150 e-bikes across the city that can be used in certain areas. However, Lime plans to introduce more once they gather data and deal with technical issues that arise in the first phase of e-bikes bikes being introduced.
The partnership between Derby City Council and Lime plans to cover the whole boundary of the city in the near future, but for now users will have to remain in the current selected area.
Updates on when the second phase of bikes are be introduced will be communicated through the Lime app, so they have told users to keep their eyes peeled on the Lime app for further updates.
