Eighty-one of the e-Bikes from the Edinburgh Cycle hire Scheme have been re-purposed into a student e-bike hire scheme at the University of Edinburgh. The scheme, called UniCycles, has been operating year-round since September 2022 and has been designed to provide an affordable and convenient transport option for students living at two of the University’s residential sites. 

The e-bikes come with rechargeable lights and a lock and include a GPS tracking device for security and to provide insight into journeys and carbon savings. The scheme has been very popular, with all bikes hired out in the first year of the scheme. Monitoring and evaluation of Year 1 showed that more students were cycling as a result of the scheme, and they reported health and economic benefits, improved mobility, enjoyment and being able to experience the outdoors.

Emma Crowther, Travel and Transport Manager at the University of Edinburgh said:

“We welcomed the former Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme onto our campuses, and it was well used by the University community with around 1/3 of all trips during semester time being undertaken by students. Being able to re-deploy the e-Bikes at two of our larger residential sites has made a real difference to the lives of our students. It has also provided us with invaluable data that can inform the design of any future city-wide bike hire scheme”