Edinburgh E-trike to help elderly enjoy thrill of cycling

Lissa McIntyre - Sustrans. © photographer - Andy Catlin

Joy Rides Edinburgh is offering to take people with reduced mobility around the city in an effort to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

The specially designed electric bike is called a trishaw, a three-wheel passenger cab wide enough to sit two people and a footrest low enough so that users with different abilities can easily enter the vehicle.

Pedalling away behind the happy passengers is business owner Lissa Mcintyre, 43, secured funding for her venture from UnLtd.

She said: “This bike will enable people who are no longer able to cycle independently to feel the exhilaration of travelling on a bike through a beautiful area, in a safe, secure and supported environment.

“It’s such a simple thing, that perhaps many of us take for granted in our everyday lives, but to get out and about, moving in the fresh air is something really special that some people are not able to do independently, and I’m excited to provide a service that enables them to do this.”

Lissa added: “When your mobility decreases you become reliant on other people to get you outdoors and often end up stuck between four walls.

“The whole idea behind my business is to give elderly people access to the outdoors. I want older people in Edinburgh to have fun, to feel the wind in their hair and feel the sunshine on their faces.”

Nas Morley, UnLtd’s Director of Partnerships & Influence said: “I’m constantly amazed by the ideas social entrepreneurs have, especially as we welcome our latest cohort of award winners.

“Social entrepreneurs are true alchemists, taking society’s urgent problems and their lived experience and making innovative gold to share with their communities. I can’t predict the future, I can confidently say it will be a brighter one.”