A new scheme providing e-bikes to Manchester for free has been booked up within hours of launching.
The project, called ‘Cycling made e-asy’, launched last Thursday (May 12) with the promise of bringing e-bikes to the Mancunian masses. It includes e-cargo bikes and adapted e-cycles for those with access needs.
Now, just a few days after the launch, it’s completely sold out. More than 110 bookings were made in Manchester within two hours, making it nearly a bike a minute.
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“The fact that we’ve had such a strong interest in Cycling made e-asy is a testament to the appetite for e-cycles in Manchester,” Sarah Mitchell, Cycling UK’s chief executive said. “This unique scheme gives participants free loans of e-cycles and will remove many perceived barriers, which may have otherwise held them back. We hope that this helps them to make changes to their travel habits."
Some £8 million of Depart for Transport funding was given to the project to make it happen, as part of a push to get more people on the pedals this year and next. Over the coming months, Cycling UK is planning to roll out the scheme in four other possible locations including: Leicester, Luton & Dunstable, Hull and Sheffield.
The plan is to quadruple the amount of e-cycles available in Manchester over the coming months, so in the meantime people can join the waiting list online.
