‘Bristol is a city that we are thrilled to launch in’

A new electric bike pilot scheme launched in February and the squeaky clean contraptions have already become a familiar sight docked on the streets Bristol.

The fleet of 420 Big Issue eBikes, seeking to encourage active travel and tackle unemployment, has been delivered in partnership with ShareBike – a Norwegian firm already operating similar programmes across Europe.

Stretching as far as Dundry, Warmley, Emersons Green and Severn Beach, Bristol is the first city in the UK to offer the up the red and white electric bikes.

Chief executive of the scheme is Jan Tore Endresen. Pleased with the launch and take-up so far, he told Bristol24/7: “Bristol is a city that we are thrilled to launch in”.

“We have been so lucky to build up this joint venture together with the Big Issue, and are now launching here in Bristol for the first time.”

Big Issue already has a strong presence in Bristol, helping an average of 30 Bristol-based vendors sell nearly 1,500 copies of the magazine each week.

Through a partnership with social enterprise, the initiative employs 10 people at their Brislington hub to help provide them with access to services to improve their lives whilst being paid a Living Wage.

“When we started the company, we agreed to employ people that had been outside the employment market for a while…and we’ve found this very motivating… and it also created a special culture inside the company”, explained Endresen.

He added: “We suggested that why don’t we do something like the same here in the UK?”

“It’s a result of a joint effort to create jobs for vulnerable, and it’s also a fantastic way to give people a new mode of transport.”

Endresen and Michael (all the 400 bikes have different names) – photo: Betty Woolerton

Back home in Norway, Endresen uses an electric bike and a trailer to cart his children the three mile cycle to kindergarten. “The only problem in Norway is that we have lots of snow, so biking in winter is a bit more difficult than here in Bristol”, he added.

A thousand miles away, Bristol was chosen as the launchpad for the scheme based on its reputation as a city of cyclists.

Endresen said: “When it came to the choice of Bristol, I think Bristol is a fantastic ambassador in the UK for this kind of system. It’s a very, very, I would say pedestrian and biking friendly place…so obviously we’ve hit the right place.

Describing the launch of the programme, Endresen said: “Launch is always difficult and makes you realise that there are some things you didn’t remember. But we feel quite lucky as technology has worked almost 100 per cent. Bikes are welcomed, I think people think it is fun, and it’s nice to have something different than the scooters.”

All of the red and white bikes have baskets at the front – photo: Martin Booth

Subscriptions cost £19.95 per month, getting the first ten minutes of every ride free and then being charged 20p per minute after that.

With a partnership with UWE where students can get discounted prices, the aim of the electric bikes is to be used for longer commuting distances. The company is calling on other businesses to partner with the scheme to provide ethical and sustainable ways for people to travel around the city.

Looking to the future, Big Issue eBikes could be rolled out further in Bristol and beyond.

Endresen said: “Our ambition is to grow both locally and nationally. Our ambition here locally will be to grow the system – I think Bristol easily can have several thousands of bikes right now.”

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Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read more: Test riding the Big Issue e-Bikes 

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