From 2018-2021 we ran the UK’s first pedal and eBike hybrid cycle hire scheme in partnership with Transport for Edinburgh.
We designed, built, and operated the scheme over three successful years, with over 75,000 people taking over 420,000 journeys cumulatively during this period.
Customer-focused
We put the customer at the heart of our solutions. In Edinburgh we used intuitive technology to create a simple hire process for all; introducing a hybrid solution that offered a mix of both fixed docking stations and virtual docking locations creating flexibility for users.
This hybrid solution revolutionised cycle hire with the technology being on the bike, not on the dock. The key advantage of this was enabling us to know where the bike was at any one time, it also enabled us to track users journeys so we could examine popular routes, track user demand and proactively plan stations.
We identified the right partners to develop this new hybrid solution – Urban Sharing from Norway brought the smart technology on the bike, and Pashley Cycles from the UK delivered a high quality, easy on the eye, British-made bicycle for public hire. Giving the customer confidence and comfort from a trusted source.
Technical advancement and innovation
Edinburgh Cycles provided the most open and transparent data platform of any cycle hire scheme in the UK with the current and historic usage and performance data available for public view.
The bikes were equipped with Urban Sharing’s industry-leading smart technology, including built-in GPS and GSM capability enabling real-time communication between the bike and back office control systems.
This helped us to ensure that the bikes were well-maintained and distributed to the right docking station locations at the right time to meet customer demand.
