A bike-sharing program is set to go electric when it relaunch next year.
Bidders are being sought to express their interest in running a revamped BTN BikeShare scheme across Brighton and Hove, with the new contract to expand the current fleet of bikes to 780, of which at least 60% will be electric.
Brighton and Hove City Council hopes to sign new operator and supplier contracts for the scheme by the end of August.
New bike orders are likely to take time to arrive due to global supply chain issues, the council warned, with the current program expected to continue with more refurbished bikes until the new fleet has been delivered and the systems tested.
The revamped scheme, due to launch in 2023, will see more hubs around the city, a range of pricing options for users, and will also have the potential to expand beyond Brighton and into neighboring local authorities .
Councilor Steve Davis, who co-chairs the environment, transport and sustainability committee, said these were “exciting times” for the bike-share scheme.
He said: “With the addition of e-bikes to the fleet and new hubs planned for the city, we are giving our residents and visitors every reason to take advantage of this wonderful program.
“We need to provide vehicle usage options and that is a step in the right direction if we are to achieve our carbon neutral targets.
“There is also the exciting prospect of seeing the project extended beyond the borders of Brighton and Hove.
“BTN BikeShare is a community asset the city can be proud of. This is a key part of our work to tackle the climate crisis, reduce congestion and achieve our goal of being net zero by 2030.”
The new system operator will be rated not only on the quality of its offer and its offer to users, but also on its commitments to sustainability and the social value it can offer to the city. This will require them to tailor marketing and offerings to underrepresented cycling groups in the city, including the BME community and the over 55s, as well as create job opportunities for young people.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-30 16:14:06