Ebike scheme to help employees return to work safely

As the UK prepares for life after lockdown, a new eBike initiative is hoping to offer a safe and environmentally friendly mode of transport for employees in the North East of England and Northern Ireland. 

As more people are returning to work with social distancing measures reducing the capacity of public transport, bikes for everyday travel are becoming an increasingly attractive option for employees and businesses. 

The eBike Ride Electric scheme is offering a flexible and cost-effective long-term bike leasing option to help encourage individuals to take up cycling in their everyday routines. 

The bikes are fitted with GPS trackers to pinpoint the bikes location and they can also provide journey statistics to help understand the health and carbon reduction benefits. 

Sue Anderson, Ride Electric’s business development manager, said: ‘EBikes have revolutionised the way people travel in Europe and the time is now to fully embrace this technology in the UK.

‘We are all aware of the focus on bikes and walking as the solution to assist business staff in getting to work safely during the crisis.

‘We believe that this will result in the reallocation of road space for shared use for cars, pedestrians, and of course, bikes. This could remove the historic resistance to cycle use, using a road infrastructure biased toward cars.

Dr Julie Hall, consultant at Newcastle City Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘As part of the country’s response to COVID-19, people have been discouraged from using public transport and services have been greatly reduced.

‘This meant that key workers at Newcastle Hospitals were looking for an alternative, safe and easy modes of transport to and from work.

‘EBikes are a very efficient form of transport. They are also clean and sustainable with zero emissions. This is important for Newcastle Hospitals as we have committed to becoming a net-zero carbon organisation and to improving air quality around our sites.’