News: Bike & Go in Rotherham

Bike & Go, a new nationwide bike hire scheme, is set to be made available at the redeveloped Rotherham Central Station, giving train users the opportunity to complete their journey on two wheels.

The UK's first major station cycle hire programme, providing low cost, rapid and convenient cycle rental, has been launched by the three rail franchises, Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Greater Anglia.

Costing £1.15m and backed by funding from the Government, Northern Rail is introducing the new bike hire concept, based on a Dutch system, at 25 stations on its network, including Rotherham from August.

Bikes are high quality and real time information is available on a mobile website. The annual subscription fee is £10 and cycle hire costs £3.80 for 24 hours, equivalent to an average bus fare.

Re-opened last year after an £8.5m redevelopment, the station has seen a significant increase in use, with passenger numbers up by 1,000 journeys a week, on average.

Launching the scheme last week, transport minister Norman Baker, said: "Encouraging people to travel sustainably is all about making it easier and more convenient for people to make greener travel choices. That is why DfT have provided £1.65m for this scheme, which does just that, by offering rail users affordable bike hire for their onward journey from the station. I want to see more schemes like this that support sustainable travel and give people a viable door-to-door option."

Kaj Mook, director and customer service director at Bike & Go, added: "This is the first national bike scheme in the UK and thanks to the geographical spread of the three networks, its impact is potentially very high. We are confident that rail passengers will be delighted to have another way of finishing their journey, quickly, conveniently and in a cost effective way."

Rotherham Borough Council has recently carried out consultations with the public and local businesses on plans to provide a continuous, direct and safe route for bikes across the town centre. Allowing cyclists to use pedestrian streets in the town centre is part of the council's long-term investment in promoting cycling as a positive, healthy and cheaper mode of travel compared to private vehicles and public transport.

Bike & Go website

Images: Bike & Go