News / Bristol
YoBike bosses ‘dumbfounded’ by negative claims
They arrived on Bristol’s street scene in a riot of yellow, marking a new age of cycling in the city.
But the YoBike name has since become sullied by negative reports of theft, vandalism and ‘no-go’ zones.
Now bosses of the bike hire scheme have hit back at naysayers, stating they have been “totally dumbfounded” by claims a new deal, offering users rides at 50p per hour to return the cycles to a central area, is to curtail their use in certain neighbourhoods.
is needed now More than ever
Users are being given incentives to bring bikes back into more populated areas of Bristol
“Our cut price parking offer is about making sure the greatest number of YoBikes are available to the greatest number of YoBikers at all times,” says Will Trafford, the company’s director of communications and marketing.
“This new policy incentivises YoBike riders to bring YoBikes back to the city centre from less trafficked surrounding locations. For most YoBikers, the offer will represent a 50 per cent discount on the cost of their ride.”
Theft and vandalism was threatening to ruin the scheme for its thousands of users
Just a month after their launch in the city, YoBikes had to be fitted with new anti-theft measures as thieves and vandals threatened to affect the experience of the thousands of members signed up to the scheme.
The problems led to their temporary withdrawal from certain areas, including parts of South Bristol.
But since then, Trafford confirms that they have not removed a single designated parking location in Bristol.
“When used correctly YoBike’s new cable locks, in conjunction with our latest software updates have significantly reduced incidents of vandalism,” he says.
https://twitter.com/YoBikeUK/status/887712035257155584
“Our programme to retrofit YoBikes with these new security features, alongside educating users on how to use them is ongoing. We remain incredibly grateful for the tremendous support from the vast majority of Bristolians.”
He adds that by incentivising preferred parking locations, YoBike aims to reduce congestion at some of the city’s most popular cycle racks and it hopes redistributing the cycles will further help bikers to reduce their carbon footprint. But beware, users have also reported fines for leaving bikes in areas other than the designated spots.
Now a familiar sight across Bristol, the scheme has undoubtedly gone down well, with more than 20,000 members making more than 1,500 rides a day.
Read more: YoBikes temporarily removed from parts of Bristol due to theft and vandalism
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
