Micromobility operator Lime is launching a brand new e-bike scheme in the English city of Derby from spring 2023.
Lime will roll out 550 e-bikes in total at no cost to the council.
The initial launch will see 150 e-bikes deployed in key locations while a further 400 e-bikes will be introduced at a later stage.
Zag Daily spoke with Hal Stevenson, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Lime UK and Ireland, who said that the firm will be drawing on its wealth of experience launching similar schemes across both the UK and globally.
“Most important to any new city launch is our on the ground operations team, responsible for the daily and ongoing maintenance of our vehicles. As well as making sure that vehicles are well-maintained, they’ll also perform battery swaps to ensure our vehicles are charged and available for daily use. We’ll be implementing some of our key technology features to ensure safe and responsible riding too, including our ‘go-slow’ zones to limit the speed of our vehicles in busy areas, and GPS that prevents people leaving bikes in no parking zones. We can’t wait to provide Derby riders access to safe and sustainable travel options across the City.”
Funding had already been allocated to the scheme by the Department for Transport (DfT) and so this money will now be re-invested to support the development of local cycle infrastructure.
Residents will be able to hop on Lime’s Gen4 e-bike model, featuring swappable batteries, built-in front and rear lights, a phone holder and increased motor power to assist with hill climbs.
They will cost £1 to unlock and 17p per minute thereafter.
Lower income residents, students, job seekers and key workers will be offered 50% off the cost of e-bikes via the company’s Access Programme.
Councillor Steve Hassall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Decarbonisation, Strategic Planning and Transport, said: “I’m thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming this new fleet of e-bikes to Derby through our partnership with Lime.
“This scheme is another step towards our ambition to make electric transport more accessible within Derby and achieve our target to become Carbon Neutral by 2035.”
