Shared bike initiative up and running in Southend

Docking stations have been installed across Southend-on-Sea as part of a new scheme to provide residents with access to shared pedal and electric bicycles.

Initially three automated bike docking stations have been installed at Civic Centre and City beach, providing pedal and electric bikes for residents and visitors to use 24 hours a day, with rates from £2 per hour.

Cllr Tony Cox, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s executive councillor for transport, waste and regulatory services, says the pilot scheme will enable even more people to get around our town on two wheels at little cost.

The initiative is part of Motionhub, a wider project which aims to provide integrated booking of bikes, electric car club vehicles and public transport. Motionhub is led by E-Car Club, with Hourbike Ltd, EValu8 Transport Innovations, Transport Systems Catapult and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council as partners.

Tim Caswell, managing director of Hourbike, said:

“We are delighted to be launch a bike sharing scheme in Southend. We are confident that it will be a valued transport option for local residents and visitors alike.”

Cllr Tony Cox added:

“We pride ourselves on Southend being a cycle-friendly town and this pilot scheme will enable even more people to get around our town on two wheels at little cost.

“The Council already makes use of both pedal and electric bikes for its employees, enabling staff to be greener and reduce mileage. This pilot will effectively extend the benefit of that scheme to the people of our town.”

MotionHub will be rolled out in several progressive stages between now and the end of the year.

As part of the first stage – which went live last week – four electric cars are now also available for private and business users to book and use as and when required. Ultimately there will be up to 10 such vehicles, in five locations across Southend-on-Sea. The vehicles are part of the E-Car Club scheme.

18 September 2017