Halfords is offering free ebikes on a first come, first serve basis next week
(Picture: PA Wire)Commuters affected by next week’s train strikes are being offered a free electric bicycle as an alternative way to get to work.
MIllions of Britons will have to find alternative routes or work from home as RMT and Unite workers walk off the job amid disputes over possible job cuts.
Rail and London Underground routes will be axed altogether or severely disrupted, with tube workers also planning to take industrial action on Tuesday June 21.
UK cycle retailer Halfords is offering season ticket holders a loan ebike over the three days of expected rail disruption - June 21, 23 and 25.
But those who are keen better get in quick, because the bikes will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
Commuters can enter their postcode into the Halfords e-bike trial finder, to check whether their local store offers trial ebikes.
They can then call or visit the store to check availability and book a bike.
A £101 deposit will be taken when the bike is collected which is refunded in full when the bike is returned.
Rail commuters must show a valid and in date season ticket, or the equivalent weekly or daily tickets, covering the seven-day loan period.
Millions of commuters are to face travel misery, Halfords cycling director Paul Tomlinson said.
“Ebikes are fun, fast, and take the strain out of hills, making them the perfect means of tackling a short commute,” he said.
Season ticket holders are set to lose the equivalent of £1.5m to the strikes but a new government scheme will allow them to apply for a full refund of individual journeys in the same way as delay repay.
Meanwhile, commuter belt MPs and passengers have slammed the “cruel” and “selfish” series of rail and Tube strikes.
Head teachers have also warned of the impact of the strikes on school exams which pupils are taking after two years of their education being disrupted by the Covid pandemic.
