nextbike celebrates 2 million UK bike rentals
Bike share provider nextbike is celebrating two million bike rentals in the UK, having clocked up its most successful year of rentals in the UK to date.
In 2019 alone the scheme saw more than 816,000 rentals made throughout the UK, with the landmark two millionth trip recorded in Glasgow.
It took three and a half years for the firm to hit its first UK million after launching back in 2014, but only 13 months to hit its second million.
nextbike currently operates in Cardiff, Swansea, Glasgow, Stirling, Milton Keynes, Uxbridge, Exeter, Belfast, Surrey and the University of Warwick. The scheme recently introduced its first e-Bike scheme to the streets of Glasgow and announced plans to expand into Penarth early next year.
Back in July nextbike partnered with Welsh Cycling to get more of the Cardiff public cycling, with plans to double the Cardiff scheme by the end of 2019.
“To have hit two million rentals is great,” said Krysia Solheim, Managing Director of nextbike UK. “We are delighted with how well our schemes have been received generally in the UK and that they’re used not just by tourists as a novel way of seeing a new city, but by residents and commuters from all walks of life.”
According to Solheim, this milestone shows that people ‘no longer think of bike share as a novelty’ but instead as a legitimate mode of transportation. She revealed nextbike has further expansion plans across the UK throughout 2020 to continue to raise the profile of bike sharing.
“The world is just waking up to the reality of climate change and the fact that we need to start making changes now to the way we all live – sustainable transport sits firmly within that agenda,” she added. “The more people we can get out of cars and onto bikes as part of their normal daily routine, the better.”
A recent study by INRIX revealed that up to 67% of car trips made in five cities throughout the UK could be replaced with micromobility solutions, for journeys less than three miles, with bike share schemes in pole position to capitalise on this.