New large-scale Adur and Worthing bike rental scheme could be launched

First popularised in the UK in London and dubbed ‘Boris Bikes’, similar schemes now operate in large urban centres across the country, including in Brighton and Hove.

BTN Bikeshare is one of the most successful bike rental schemes in the UK outside of the capital, with the city council due to procure a new contract to delivery an expanded scheme within its boundaries.

The contract would also allow neighbouring authorities to enter into ‘call-off contracts’ with the supplier in order to create a wider bike network.

Adur and Worthing Councils are now exploring such a possibility of expanding the scheme into their area.

A report from last year identified that an optimal scheme for Adur and Worthing would consist of 43 hubs (5-10 stands per hub) and 322 bikes (161 e-bikes and 161 standard bikes).

There are already a significant number of members of the existing BTN Bikeshare scheme living in Adur or Worthing as operators of the current scheme already collect bikes that have been brought into and left in Adur.

According to council officers: “This indicates that the Bikeshare is already extending into Adur and the formal establishment of a scheme and hubs in Adur and Worthing will cater to and help expand this established customer base.”

Worthing Donkey Bikes, set up as a collaboration between Discover Worthing and Cycle Brighton, launched in 2017 and at the time was envisaged as a temporary arrangement until a larger scheme could be implemented.

There are currently nine hubs and 32 bikes.

Franchise owner Donkey Republic has recently put up its concession costs and Cycle Brighton is now aiming to close the scheme.

Worthing Borough Council has provided £4,000 to extend the scheme to this summer and is negotiating an additional one-year extension to summer 2022.

The possibility of setting up a new bikeshare scheme is set to be discussed by the councils’ joint strategic committee on Tuesday (February 9).

A detailed business case and funding strategy will still need to be worked up by officers before a final decision is taken on the project.

But their report suggest joining an existing highly successful bike rental scheme could transform the way people travel, open cycling up to a wider audience, help reduce congestion as well as air pollution and carbon emissions, improve the health of the area’s communities, benefit the visitor economy and increase connectivity.