Students at UHI Inverness are showing little to no interest in a fleet of rentable ebikes installed for their use on campus — despite a massive student discount.
For £2.70-a-month, they can ride the Hi-Bikes to their heart’s content, as long as they re-dock after 45 minutes.
But only 21 out of all the hundreds of students at the Beechwood base have taken out a membership.
The low uptake of the annual student membership costing just £32.50 for the year is leaving active travel bosses scratching their heads.
Especially when compared to the full price £65 annual membership, which is said to be popular.
Ranald Robertson, the statutory regional transport partnership manager leading the Hi-Bike rental scheme for Hitrans, said it was “absurd”.
“The student membership is such enormously good value,” he said.
“All students on the campus should be taking one out.”
So why aren’t more UHI Inverness students using the ebikes?
We spoke to several on a quick stroll around the stunning Inverness UHI campus to see if we could come a bit closer to finding out.
We found a few students who didn’t know it existed.
Demi Beaulieu, from Manchester but who lives in Inverness, was the first to cross our path.
The fact that the 20-year-old doesn’t actually like cycling, would, on the face of it, explain her reticence.
But she knew little to nothing about the Hi-Bikes that she can ride as many times as she likes in a month — for the cost of a mug of hot chocolate in Costa.
She told us: “I do actually prefer walking anyway, but I don’t really know much about these bikes. I wouldn’t even know how to use one. I wouldn’t know how to go and find one, or how to take it out.
“It probably should be advertised more.”
Demi’s classmate from Kingussie, Eilidh Boyle, told us the same thing.
She said: “I just thought it was just people riding their bikes to and from the campus.
“Maybe it would be good if our lecturers brought it up with us when we were in class.
“I don’t know how the bike scheme managers are getting the word out, but I don’t think many students bother reading their emails, and we don’t bother with leaflets.”
Moving on, we found cost was not an off-putting factor for Finlay Stewart from Muir of Ord.
Shrugging his shoulders, he said: “Probably sounds a bit lazy, but the buses are just so much easier, you don’t need to bother with exercise at all, and they’re free.
“I get here by bus and if I do have to go somewhere one of the girls has a car.”
It was the same for Banff student Robyn Hay.
The 18-year-old lives at the Inverness UHI Campus, returning home on the weekends.
But despite having more time than some in her cohort to mull around the university site, the ebikes are not her cup of tea.
She said: “I take the bus because it’s easier, and if I need to go to the shops I just walk to Tesco. It’s only along the road.”
What is being done to get the students on their ebikes at UHI Inverness?
Rhys Roberts, who works for the ebike rental company Bewegen which operates and promotes the Hi-Bike scheme in Inverness, said he was trying to boost .uptake
He said: “Since the start of term time, I’ve attended events at the campus to increase uptake, and worked with the student union to support their endeavours to increase participation.
“We’ve also opened a virtual station at the UHI School of Forestry Campus, to allow students to ride to and from the UHI and School of Forestry site.
“And we’ve also created a half-price membership and put on competitions offering memberships to students.”
Conversation