Two Aberdeen ebike parking zones removed due to vandals

By Kieran Beattie

November 28 2022, 1:28 pm

A number of the big issue eBikes were vandalised and smashed up in Duthie Park soon after the launch. Image: Fubar News

Two parking zones for the Aberdeen ebike hire scheme have been removed because of vandalism concerns.

Earlier this month, 200 rentable Big Issue eBikes were rolled out all throughout the city centre across 40 pick-up and drop-off locations.

Around 200 of the Big Issue eBikes will be rolled out initially. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Although 1,000 people have already signed up to the initiative, sadly it has also already been impacted significantly by vandalism.

At least 20 bikes have so far been found damaged and in need of repair at the project’s workshop.

One of the damaged Big Issue ebikes. Picture by Fubar News

To combat the vandals, Big Issue eBikes has taken targeted action.

Last week, the organisation’s CEO Jan Tore Endresen confirmed new, tougher locks would be installed on all the vehicles.

And today, he has confirmed that two problematic parking zones have now been removed, following advice from the police.

What parking zones have been removed from the Aberdeen ebike hire scheme?

The ebikes require an app to unlock. The parking zones are shown with black shapes overlaying the map. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Unlike other ebike hire schemes in cities across the world, the Aberdeen project does not have any physical infrastructure like bike racks.

Instead, picking up and dropping off the Aberdeen ebikes is done virtually, through an app.

Users can pick up a vehicle from anywhere, but if they don’t end their rental sessions in one of the app’s designated parking zones, they will end up having to pay more.

After getting advice from the police following vandalism troubles, Big Issue eBikes has now decided to get rid of two of its zones in the city centre.

The now-removed zones were near the Music Hall on Union Street, and at Park Street/Road closer to the beach.

A screenshot of the app. The Music Hall parking zone has been removed. The one at Golden Square remains. Image: DC Thomson.

The pair of zones were “significantly targeted by vandals”.

There is no longer a parking zone at Park Road/Street. Image: DC Thomson

‘We are all the time looking to improve the parking zones’

Jan Tore Endresen, CEO of Big Issue eBikes, with one of the ebikes you can now rent in Aberdeen. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Mr Endresen said his organisation is currently in the process of finding out new places for the abandoned zones, because the scheme requires a certain density of areas for people to find or park bikes in order to be effective.

He has also encouraged users to email in suggestions for new parking areas in the city for the ebikes with “plenty of space and good lighting” to info@bigissue.bike.

Mr Endresen said: “We are all the time looking to improve the parking zones, and will from time to time relocate some and open up new ones.

The Big Issue eBike scheme has been rolled out in Aberdeen in locations across the city, including here on George Street. Image: Kieran Beattie/DC Thomson

“All this will happen in a way that gradually will lead to the area covered by parking zones being increased, and the bikes will become available for new neighbourhoods”.

He also said in an effort to get more people on board with the scheme, free coupons will be distributed on the Big Issue eBikes social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram tomorrow.