You can now hire an electric bike in Bristol for £75 per month

Bristol’s electric bike hire schemes are like buses: you wait ages and then two arrive at once.

Following in the slipstream of the Big Issue eBikes comes Lyte, a company which allows you to take your electric hire bike home with you after taking it for a ride.

A monthly subscription fee of £75 gives you a bike “with all the trimmings” including in-built lights, a sturdy lock and insurance.

For founder Ben Pullen, Lyte is a logical next step on his journey within sustainable transport which has seen him travel around Europe, the Middle East and Africa working mostly with electric cars.

“This small piece of technology is going to be a game changer,” Ben told Bristol24/7 on a recent morning in Full Court Press, having travelled to the cafe on his electric bike of course.

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Ben is clearly going to be an evangelist for all electric forms of transport but his enthusiasm is infectious, with Bristol acting as the city to launch a business with global potential.

As well as being the founder and one of three employees of Lyte, 32-year-old Ben remains the chairman of Smarter Mobility Africa, a community of “mobility thought leaders” from business and government.

Lyte has a fleet of 240 branded bikes ready to tackle Bristol’s hills and traffic congestion, hoping to take commuters out of their cars or away from delayed or cancelled buses.

Ben Pullen is the founder of Lyte – photo: Martin Booth

The other sustainable transport hire schemes already in the city, be they scooters or bikes, are a help rather than a hindrance for Lyte according to Ben.

“The fact that Big Issue eBikes have arrived in Bristol is amazing,” he says.

“If I don’t have my own bike, I now use a Voi or a Big Issue eBike. We need all these solutions and more. It’s great that Voi has had so much success.”

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Read more: E-scooter trial extended until November

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For committed cyclists fit and hardy enough to cope with the demands of navigating Bristol on two wheels, this new hire scheme will probably not be for them.

But Ben hopes that Lyte will be able to act as an introduction to electric transportation for most people, offering a taster for those unwilling to shell out several thousand pounds on their own e-bike.

“It has been received really well so far but we have not really even got started yet.

“Cycling connects communities. E-bikes take this to the next level and we’re making it easier to access a game-changing solution.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read more: Big Issue eBikes removed from parts of Bristol due to vandalism

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