E-bike long-term loan scheme set for 2027 launch

Commuters in South Yorkshire are set to be able to hire e-bikes on a long-term loan under a new scheme aimed at giving people more travel choices.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has announced plans for an initial 275 e-bikes to be leased.

The scheme would run alongside other schemes across the region, including plans to make almost 1,000 e-bikes available for short-term hire in Sheffield.

The region's mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: "I'm proud to say we're the first place in the country to develop this type of scheme."

The countywide initiative has been backed by a £1.3m investment over the next three years and is set to launch next spring.

The scheme is part of the South Yorkshire's People's Network, an upcoming overhaul of the county's public transport system that was announced in March.

The branded e-bikes will use a tiered pricing model based on what people can afford, the mayor said.

"It's not enough to simply build bike lanes and cycle networks; we need to give everyone a chance to use them," he added.

Coppard said the scheme was designed to give people "the freedom and choice about how they travel and move that they deserve".

SYMCA is yet to reveal details on pricing or eligibility, but said the scheme would become "the most flexible operation in the country".

The regional mayor said the scheme would be available across the whole of South Yorkshire from launch, rather than being trialled in one area first.

"We're using a different model for the pricing of the e-bikes that actually looks at what people can afford and then prices the bikes accordingly," he added.

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