Swedish company chosen to run cycle hire scheme in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s new cycle hire scheme will be run by Swedish company Voi, it has been announced.

The decision comes after council officers evaluated bids by several companies, including prominent bike hire firms Lime and Dott.

Voi runs similar services throughout England and across Europe, with operations in Liverpool, London and Northampton among other cities.

Edinburgh has targeted a dockless model for its new scheme, with the hire service set to be run without any cost to the council.

All of Voi’s bike and scooter hire services in the UK use a dockless model, which sees vehicles parked on pavements or streets instead of charging docks.

The city’s previous bike hire service, run under the Just Eat Cycles brand by Serco, used a docked model, where electric bikes were parked in charging bays at stations in the city.

After three years, the scheme folded, with the operator declining to continue running the service due to financial losses linked with high levels of damage.

It was also designed to run at no cost to the city, but in the end, it cost the council £1.8 million.

In 2020, one in four of the Just Eat bikes had to be repaired every week due to damage from vandalism and other sources.

A number of the bikes were thrown into the Water of Leith and other bodies of water around the city.

Voi started in 2018, providing electric scooters for rent, but began providing e-bike service in some markets in 2022.

The company’s operations in some cities require users to take photos of where they park their bikes, with fines possible if riders repeatedly park their bikes or scooters incorrectly.

A common complaint about dockless bike and scooter services is that incorrectly parked vehicles can block pavements and roads.

It is unclear whether Edinburgh’s new cycle hire service will require users to take photos, or allow fines to be levied on riders.

Dott and Lime were the only two firms whose participation in the bidding process was publicly known, with Lime demonstrating bikes for city officials earlier this year.

The only mention of Voi in council papers was in February 2023, in a report to councillors on options for a future cycle hire or urban mobility scheme.

It included a study conducted for the council in 2022 by a consultancy firm, early in Voi’s presence in the UK and before they started offering e-bikes.

Edinburgh’s transport boss, Labour councillor Stephen Jenkinson, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve reached this key milestone to deliver a new cycle hire scheme for Edinburgh.

“Voi brings a wealth of experience in this field, operating across the UK and internationally, and I’m very excited to see how the scheme will progress here in the Capital. We’ll be launching the scheme later this week before expanding across the city through the autumn.

“My thanks also go to Council colleagues who have been able to turn around this vital scheme for our city quickly and efficiently. From allowing our residents and visitors a new way to travel around the city, through to cutting congestion, pollution and beyond – the scheme will bring a host of benefits to Edinburgh.”

Voi’s contract will start from Friday, August 22, though it has not yet been announced when bikes will be on the streets.

The scheme will run initially as a two year trial, with an option to extend for a further 18 months after.