A short while ago Bath Newseum follower John Batty asked:
‘It’s been a couple of months now since the Council advised you that they would be trialling electric bikes for a hire scheme around the city and now 6 months since the NextBikes disappeared. Have you seen any evidence of this trial?’
John, l have received the following reply from Councillor Joanna Wright, who is Cabinet member for Transport Services.
“While we had a good amount of interest in our e-bike hire tendering process, no company has come forward.
The scheme was due to start in August and we are now considering other options as part of our commitment to sustainable transport.”
Thanks for the update Richard. The decision to terminate Next bikes without any properly researched and contracted alternative, looks more ill-considered with every passing month. However it does seem completely in-step with the universally haphazard and inept environmental strategy of this council.
Given the Bath Hacked analysis of the Next Bike scheme showing a rental rate of 0.3 per bike per day, whereas successful schemes are at the 6-8 times per bike per day, when the council money ran out so the scheme would collapse. Given the poor hire rate, there would be no eBike company in the world that would consider coming to Bath unless the council guaranteed to cover any losses. The council should now focus on enabling the ownership of eBikes with secure on-street bike hangars and an affordable eBike hire/loan/purchase scheme for residents. We should also be looking to the Universities to provide options for students. Ebikes are exceptional forms of transport in this city but a hire scheme is doomed to failure.