Edinburgh racks up 250,000 trips on Just Eat hire bikes since scheme started in September 2018 - but vandalism remains a concern

Edinburgh residents have now racked up 250,000 trips on the city's Just Eat hire bikes since the scheme began in September 2018.

Just Eat Cycles, run by Serco on behalf of the council-owned Transport for Edinburgh, recently revealed it's seen double the amount of bike hires each month this year compared to last, with 100,000 bikes hired in 2020 up to the end of June - 80 per cent as many as the whole of 2019.

The Covid-19 lockdown and good weather are likely to have contributed to the boom, along with several streets being closed to other traffic as part of the council's temporary measures to encourage safe, active travel around the city including segregated cycle links to the two main hospitals.

However, bike thefts and vandalism - to both bikes and stands - is still a problem and Just Eat say they are working with police to catch those responsible with the aid of CCTV.

Edinburgh residents have totted up 250,000 trips since the scheme started, with double the number of bike hires each month in 2020 compared to 2019.

Only last week, a local diver spotted 14 Just Eat bicycles in the Water of Leith by the Sandport Place bridge after he went in to retrieve a bike for a friend - and the company plans to either restore them to service where possible or recycle.

Alex Macdonald, general manager of the Edinburgh Just Eat cycle hire scheme, says it is clear from their latest usage figures that more people have taken to cycling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: "There has clearly been a cultural step change as more people embrace life on two wheels."

“The city has a clear ambition to get more people cycling to work, investing more money in cycling infrastructure than ever before, having successfully received a large percentage of the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People Fund."

Bike theft and vandalism

Mr Macdonald said continued improvement to cycling infrastructure will help make the city as safe and attractive as possible and encourage a "new breed" of cyclists to feel able to start cycling. He also stressed that Just Eat's 100 hire points are positioned at spots around Edinburgh which connect to cycle paths and roads which cater best for cyclists.

He acknowledged there have been incidents of vandalism since the scheme was brought in but said most people use the bikes to keep fit, commute to work and explore the city.

He said all of the bikes are GPS tracked which allows them to recover most of them in under 24 hours and that the "vast majority" which go missing are located, recovered and repaired - although Just Eat could not provide details on how many bikes have been classed as lost or stolen.

Recent vandalism to the bike stand at Broughton Street Tesco has also been reported to the cycle hire team who are taking steps to fix it.

Mr Macdonald said: “We’re working with Police Scotland to prosecute those responsible for criminal damage, and with the vast majority of hire points covered by CCTV, we are already catching those responsible for seriously misusing the scheme. Police Scotland have identified a number of individuals who they believe are responsible for thefts based on bike recovery locations.

“The public have been extremely helpful and vigilant in reporting crime and damage to our fleet and we thank them for their support. Our advice, in partnership with Police Scotland, is for anyone witnessing a crime to dial 999. For those looking to report a lost or stolen bike, we encourage them to call the police on 101.”

As well as a fleet of pedal bikes, there are more than 70 battery-assisted e-bikes available for hire across the city. These have been hired 12,000 times since they were introduced in March.