The capital of Scotland may soon have a city-wide electric bicycle hire scheme. Edinburgh is looking into something similar to the “Boris Bike” network that is in London and the Citi Bike system that just launched in New York City, but using electric bikes with such a scheme.
The new scheme would place over 5,000 motorized bicycles across the city in key locations, along with charging points.
To get a bicycle, one will just have to find a docking station and buy access or become a member with a credit or debit card. Then they can take the bicycle and simply ride it to their destination and return it for the next person to use.
The docking stations will be available 24 hours a day, all year round. It’s self-service system and there’s no booking (like the hundreds of other bike-sharing schemes around the world). Just turn up and go. If there are no cycles when you get to a docking station, a terminal map shows where there are some nearby.
The city plans to use designer Neil McMartin, who would design the bicycles to be fitted with electric motors to assist users along their routes. The city’s geography is well suited for electric bike assistance.
“In a city like Edinburgh, built on seven hills, that is not an ideal market to put a traditional bike scheme in, which is why this electric bike plan is preferable,” he explained.
The bikes will be manual until the rear wheel travels in excess of three miles an hour. Which will be comparable to a brisk walk. Here is a nice video from the Barclays Cycle Hire in London on how the scheme there works:
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