Glasgow bike hire scheme hits new monthly rentals record

Edinburgh scheme also booming with more than 150,000 hires so far this year

Cyclists using nextbike bikes in Glasgow.

Glasgow’s bike hire scheme has recorded its highest monthly rentals since being launched to coincide with the Commonwealth Games six years ago, The Scotsman can reveal.

Run by nextbike on behalf of the city council, rentals increased in July to a new monthly high of 36,250.

They increased by 12 per cent on a year ago when 32,396 hires were made.

One of Just Eat Cycles' electric bikes. Picture: Greg Macvean

That brings total hires since 2014 to 1,064,867 after topping 1m in June.

The scheme has more than 700 cycles including some 60 electric bikes.

1,000 hires a day

In Edinburgh, Just Eat Cycles said it had recorded an average of more than 1,000 hires a day over the last three months.

Cyclists using a new bike lane on Clyde Street in Glasgow city centre.

Both schemes enable cyclists to pick up a bike at one of a network of hire points across the cities and drop them at another.

The Edinburgh scheme, which is run by Serco for city council-owned Transport for Edinburgh, has also recorded more than 150,000 rentals this year.

That compares to 124,000 for the whole of last year.

It has been used by more than 100,000 people this year, with new users averaging 1,000 a week.

The scheme will celebrate its second birthday next month and has 550 conventional bikes and more than 70 electric bikes.

General manager Alex Macdonald said its Portobello and Duke Street in Leith hire points were the most popular.

Since May, NHS key workers using the scheme have cycled a total of more than 3,700 miles – as far as Islamabad in Pakistan.

Glasgow’s ‘love affair with cycling’

Nextbike UK managing director Krysia Solheim said: “The people of Glasgow have shown us once again that their love affair with cycling continues to grow month-on-month, which is fantastic to see.

“By making small changes, such as opting to take a nextbike instead of jumping in the car, our customers are helping to bring about positive changes that will lead to reduced congestion and CO2 levels, and will also help them to be fitter and healthier.

“We hope the changes that people have made over the last few months during lockdown will become habits that people are happy to embrace for the long-term.”

‘Make the city safe for cyclists’

Thomas Cornwallis, co-convener of GoBike, the Strathclyde cycle campaign, said: "We are very glad to see increase in use of hire bike system in Glasgow.

"We hope this increase shows the need for more hire stations around the city to make them available to more people.

"We hope those hiring are enjoying their cycles and the council keeps moving forward in their plans to make the city accessible and safe for everyone who can to cycle."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With coronavirus having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website

Joy Yates

Editorial Director