In the Cairngorms National Park in remote rural Scotland, a public-private partnership with local bike shops provided a successful and cost-effective mechanism for delivering an e-bike hire scheme, helping young locals access employment and aiding older residents to keep active and healthy.
All bike shop owners had a positive experience during the pilot study and are keen to continue the arrangement with HITRANS into the future. They all see the potential for growth and want to discuss opportunities to expand the arrangement to more target users and with more cycles. The e-bike hire share is particularly encouraging because it has been used by individuals to access work. It increase mobility options for the mobility impaired and older users, especially as elderly users are least likely to hire e-bikes during cold Winter months.
