States e-bike scheme ends after a "fantastic" ride

Thursday 27 April 2017

It’s the end of the road for the States e-bike scheme after 10 months of success.

Since the launch of the “car2cycle” scheme last June, £150,000 has been spent and approximately 550 bikes have been purchased but the popularity of the scheme has brought it to a premature end after just 10 months.

Originally the Department for Infrastructure had intended to allocate £50,000 per year for three years but the popularity of the scheme has enabled approximately 550 e-bike grants to be issued in under one year.

Now that the scheme has reached its funding limit the Department for Infrastructure has announced applications will no longer be accepted after 28 April.

The "car2cycle" scheme was launched to try to get Islanders out of their cars and on to bikes as a healthier option, and to try to reduce congestion on the roads and Deputy Eddie Noel says it’s been “really successful."

The Minister for Infrastructure said: “This has been a really successful scheme. The take-up has been fantastic. It has delivered the results we were looking for, people have been using their e-bikes instead of cars and they have been feeling the benefit.”

A survey from Islanders benefitting from the scheme showed that the initiative had succeed in encouraging Islanders to adopt a healthier lifestyle. 

• 65% said that they had bought an e bike to lose weight or to be more active/healthier and 24% to travel around more easily
• 58% said that the e bike had replaced travel by car/van/scooter/motorbike
• 70% said they had used their e bikes for work at least once a week, and of those, 34% for 4 or more days a week
• When asked what benefits had they seen, 50% said they had saved money on parking and petrol, 63% felt healthier/fitter/ more active and 56% had more flexibility to travel around.