Hire and share bike schemes hit record levels in UK, with eBikes taking share

The UK’s appetite for cycling is hitting new highs, with a record number of daily rides taken on shared bikes in the UK last year. The stats also revealed more people are using eBikes instead of conventional pedal cycles for the first time.

A new report by the national shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) shows that bike share schemes recorded close to 25 million hires between September 2022 and September 2023, an average of 67,565 rides per day. This was up from the 54,285 rides per day recorded in 2022, an increase of 24%, with the number of locations of schemes across the UK also growing from 43 to 48.

The annual report, which surveyed more than 1,100 active users, also shows how bike share schemes boost people’s physical and mental health, save them money and cut the number of car miles driven across the UK, benefiting the environment in the process.

eBikes taking share in bike hire too

For the first time, the number of eBikes available through sharing schemes has overtaken conventional pedal bikes, with more than 25,000 on the road by the end of September 2023. This is more than double the 12,000 available only a year previously, with 59% of all bike share hires now being made on eBikes, up from 45%.

A total of 14,548,660 eBike hires were reported in the period covered by the report, a huge increase on the six million undertaken in the previous year. The most popular reason for renting an eBike or eCargo bike was to cut journey times, with 53% giving this answer. Just under half (46%) said they chose an eBike to avoid fatigue or getting sweaty, while 40% wanted one so they could cycle up hills. The report also demonstrates how bike share schemes encourage people to cycle more often and improve their physical and mental health. Such schemes often provide a catalyst to re-engaging with cycling, with 48% of users reporting that they were now riding for the first time in at least a year or the first time ever.

More than two thirds (69%) of users reported cycling ‘more often’ or ‘much more often’ since joining, with this rising to 72% among those who used eBikes. The most common regular purpose for trips made with shared bikes is travelling to or from work or school, with 39% of users doing so at least once a week.

Other key findings from the report include:

• A huge majority (80%) said using shared bikes boosted their mental health, with 89% also agreeing that it provided them with exercise.
• A clear majority (57%) said they were saving money by using bike share schemes, while 85% said it removed the worry of their own bike being stolen.
• More than a fifth of users (22%) have a personal income of £20,000 or less, demonstrating how such schemes can make active travel accessible to all.
• Bike sharing led to a reduction of 106,831 tonnes of carbon emissions across the UK by replacing 245 million car miles over the course of the year.
• Almost a quarter (24%) of users said they would have used a car for their last bike share trip if the service had not been available.
• Bike sharing is predominantly used for short to medium-range trips, with more than half of users (58%) estimating that their last journey was between one and three miles.

Richard Dilks, chief executive of CoMoUK, said: “Our research clearly demonstrates the hugely positive impact that bike sharing schemes have, both for the people who use them and for society as a whole. By offering easy and affordable access to cycling, such schemes improve people’s physical and mental health, cut the number of cars on the road and reduce carbon emissions.

“The rise of the eBike, which has now overtaken the pedal cycle in terms of hires, is pushing the popularity of bike sharing to new highs and there is no sign of this trend slowing down. Despite these successes, governments across the UK have been slow to grasp the true potential of bike sharing and we urge them to look at how they can do more.

“We look forward to more schemes being rolled out in UK cities during 2024, opening up this accessible and flexible mode of transport to an even wider audience.”

ANALYSIS

The positive stats provide a stark contrast with the fortunes of the cycle trade during the past 12 months, and are heartening proof that consumers thirst for cycling remains high in the UK, even if their stretched finances are stopping them from buying their own.

The stats also provide an interesting juxtaposition with some of the rhetoric coming out of Downing Street lately. The stats indicate that consumers really are keen to cycle and in many cases (24%) have biked instead of driven a car. Those in favour of fanning the flames of so-called culture wars and using stock phrases like ‘the war on motorists’ are in danger of looking out of touch with what’s actually happening among the UK population.

Finally, as alluded to above, the unstoppable growth of eBikes in the UK – of which independent bike dealers have played a vital role in growing – is seen in its glory here. Some of us can remember when eBikes were seen by some as ‘cheating’, but that view is looking as dusty and irrelevant as a Betamax video recorder for the majority of the UK population.