Designing an inclusive e-bike scheme in Leeds

Steer was commissioned by Leeds City Council to support with planning and delivery of a proposed shared electric bike scheme in Leeds (to be known as ‘Leeds City Bikes’) due to launch in August 2023. 

As part of the project Steer provided strategic guidance to Leeds City Council to develop key characteristics of the scheme which will support meeting local and regional policy objectives to ‘normalise cycling’. The hope is that by providing an effective alternative to car travel for residents, employees, businesses and visitors active travel in the area will increase. 

The project encompassed work in the following key areas: 

• Development of scheme objectives including the methods to monitor them
• Analysis of underlying demand for bike share across the city based on the inclination of locals to cycle and what would attract them to make bike trips
• Development of different options for the scheme including fleet used, infrastructure, operating area, operating structure, and tariffs
• Identification of four shortlisted options for scheme delivery, based on scheme objectives and Critical Success Factors
• Estimating demand, operating costs and revenue potential from the shortlisted options for the scheme, including funding analysis
• Analysis of potential benefits (including qualitative and quantitative benefits) and key risks to delivery
• Development of the Strategic Outline Case (SOC), Full Business Case (FBC) and all supporting documents for funding application
• Support with identification of a preferred commercial model and procurement of an operator (Beryl)

The total capital investment for the scheme is around £3 million. Based on our work, the scheme was allocated a capital funding of circa £2 million and led to a successful procurement of an operator who is investing an additional £900,000 for the delivery of the scheme.  The scheme will include a 100% e-bike fleet with over 600 bikes, more than 100 docking stations and 10 Active Mobility Hubs covering a sizeable zone in Inner Leeds and surrounding areas. In addition, over time the scheme will include a number of accessible e-bikes, which will help meet the mayoral objective of making transport ‘accessible and inclusive’. The scheme will provide a huge public statement on the intention of Leeds to be a modern pro-cycling city and will be designed to be a catalyst for a transformation in the demand for cycling in the region.