Voi has relaunched its e-bike rental scheme in Peterborough after temporarily pausing the service due to “unprecedented” acts of vandalism in the city, said the operator.
The Swedish company has upgraded its e-bikes by introducing a more robust anti-theft feature to help prevent them from being stolen and vandalised.
Forty e-bikes have rejoined the streets, all available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Peterborough residents have very much missed the convenience and enjoyment that the trial has brought to their daily journeys, and so I am very glad to see them back with enhanced security,” said the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson.
“The e-bikes give people that extra push that we all sometimes need to move more and drive less. Also, as an ultra-low emission travel alternative to the car, they are an easy way to decrease your carbon footprint.”
When the service ran last year, city-dwellers had ridden Voi’s e-bikes around 10,000 times, racking up more than 21,000 miles.
The e-bikes have so far replaced around 4,000 car journeys and prevented an estimated 3 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
Those in Peterborough now can get a free helmet and 50% off a Daily Pass in celebration of the relaunch.
Riders can claim the discount by entering the code EBIKE0322 into their wallet on the Voi app – which will be valid until Monday 14 March 2022.
“We’re asking riders to Voi again and enjoy e-bikes as an active, affordable and convenient way to get around town,” said Matthew Pencharz, UK Head of Public Policy at Voi.
“As a company, we’ve been working hard to enhance the security of our e-bikes, and we are committed to deploying more staff on the ground to monitor the scheme, whilst continuing to work closely with the local police force. However, ultimately we rely on people’s good behaviour and care for a shared service that brings significant benefits to the local community.”
