Glasgow and Edinburgh launch temporary free bike-share

Edinburgh and Glasgow have launched free bike-share services to encourage people to consider cycling for everyday journeys.

The initiative comes into effect as COVID-19 restrictions are eased to help ease pressure on public transport, encourage active travel and help people without access to bikes. The scheme has been made possible thanks to funding from the Scottish Government. Over 1,300 bike located will be available for free in the cities for the first 30-minutes of every journey on a temporary basis.

In Glasgow, the first 30 minutes of bike hire will be free to citizens for two months, with this extended to an hour for existing subscribers.

In Edinburgh, the first 30 minutes of bike hire on bikes will be free for the next two weeks. Access to e-bikes will also be free, although usage will incur the usual per-minute charge. Edinburgh is also planning to launch a new four-month discounted pass from mid-July to encourage people to cycle more often for everyday journeys.

The collaboration is led by CoMoUK, which promotes shared transport, and is funded by Transport Scotland through the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme.

The scheme is in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Transport for Edinburgh, and bike share operators nextbike in Glasgow and Serco in Edinburgh.

For more information, please see here.