An electric bike share scheme is planned for Inverness early next year.
The pilot scheme, run by transport partnership HiTrans, will initially see 30 electric bikes for hire in the city with three strategic docking stations, in the train station, UHI Inverness Campus and Raigmore hospital.
The sites have been chosen to align with Highland Council’s Inverness city active travel network, currently in development, and proposed to improve pedestrian and wheeled travel around Smithton bridge, Raigmore Interchange, Riverside Way, Millburn Road corridor and Abban Street.
The HiTrans e.bikes would enable users to take advantage of a dedicated off-road cycle route connecting the station, campus and hospital, with the possibility of ‘virtual’ docking stations set up in other locations such as SNH or the retail park to allow greater flexibility.
The scheme would be run on a membership basis, with annual, monthly, weekly or daily subscriptions.
The docking stations will be in well-lit, public areas covered by CCTV and the bikes have GPS so they can always be located.
The scheme could be expanded to include another six docking stations in future, HiTrans said.
HiTrans has a grant of £206,000 from Transport Scotland and EU project Stronger Combined for the project.
The transport partnership has trial ebike schemes currently running in Aviemore, Grantown on Spey and Fort William, making e-bikes made available on loan to key workers for commuting or exercise during the current Covid-19 crisis.
HiTrans partnership director Ranald Robertson said the aim of the Inverness pilot is to increase the low-cost mobility options available to residents and visitors, enabling shorter journeys within the city to be made by bike.
“This in turn will help to reduce carbon emissions, pollution and contribute to Highland Council’s response to the climate emergency.”
Councillor Allan Henderson, chairman of HiTrans, said: “Cycling is one of our most effective, healthy and environmentally-friendly forms of transport, and we work closely with many partners to encourage active travel in our area.
“Inverness has a number of active travel routes and the e-bikes will provide the opportunity for people to get around the city quickly, easily and actively.”
The contractor is e-bike maker Bewegen, a Canadian company whose bikes are being used in Forth Bike, Scotland’s largest electric bike scheme linking Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire.
Similar schemes are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Charges for the Inverness scheme are not yet confirmed, but Forth Bike charges £65 a year for unlimited journeys or £2 for a single trip.
The e-bikes run for up to 60 miles on a single charge.
Bewegen runs a total of 18 sharing schemes across the globe, including in Costa Rica, the US and the UK, including 15 in partnership with the public sector.
