Words: Zain Durrani
With cycling becoming an increasingly popular means of transport, Sheffield is enhancing infrastructure yet remains without a cycle hire scheme. UnLTD’s Zain Durrani explores the city’s past attempts and asks if it’s time to bring bike rentals back.
Across the UK, cycling appears to be on the rise. Thanks in part to Covid, statistics now show a marginal increase in the number of cyclists on the road every year, with 2020 figures showing that 47% of people in England aged 5 and over have access to a bike.
Sheffield has been working hard to promote this with multiple council plans such as Connecting Sheffield: City Centre and the Sheffield Transport Strategy (2019 – 2035) paving the way for improved cycling infrastructure across the city.
Emerging from these new plans is Sheffield’s first ‘Dutch’-style roundabout. Planned to open in mid-November, the new roundabout in the city’s West Bar creates an accessible route for all road users from cars to bikes.
As of 2022, Sheffield’s population has reached 566,242, making it the fifth-biggest city in the UK. It is also the only city in the top ten without a cycle hire scheme. With Sheffield’s big push for new cycle infrastructure, it may be time to ask – should Sheffield reintroduce a rental bike scheme?
A BRIEF HISTORY
Introducing one now would actually mark the third time Sheffield has attempted a rental bike scheme. The first was in 2015 with the University of Sheffield’s ‘ByCycles’. Inspired by the Boris (now Santander) bikes in London, the scheme was ‘the first of its kind’ in Yorkshire and was funded partly by the council and partly by the University via income generated from car parks.
The scheme saw five docking stations across the campus with 30 bikes in total and was targeted mainly at students and staff, helping them get between lectures and meetings much quicker than usual.
However, this scheme lasted only three years, ending in 2018 to make way for Ofo. Originally a Chinese brand, Ofo began distributing their dockless bikes across the US and UK from 2016 to 2018.
The fleet of 1,000 rentable bikes was dotted across the city and met with great enthusiasm. Ofo’s Operations Manager Adam Rose said in an interview with The Guardian that “it took all of London a year to hit the rider figures we got by our third week.” Sheffield City Council called the entire project a success, but just six months after they were introduced, the bikes began to leave.
The main reason: increased theft and vandalism. The bikes were found abandoned across the city, left in hedges and some were even set on fire. The company always expected some vandalism, but Sheffield had the highest rate of any city they operated in.
So, the company pulled out, leaving Sheffield bikeless once again.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Sheffield has plenty of cycling infrastructure but it’s rarely used. Perhaps it’s the high cost of a road bike – or an even higher one for an E-Bike, which in Sheffield you really need. Or maybe it’s the lack of storage space with 20% of the city’s population living in flats, which aren’t always designed to accommodate bikes.
Dexter Johnstone, Chair of Cycle Sheffield, believes that a bike hire system could help get more people cycling: “It would expand that audience for cycling beyond those who do it already. You might be walking along and need to go somewhere in the city centre, and you’d think, ‘Oh, I’ll just hop on one of these bikes and zip there.’ It’d be quicker and easier than walking or taking the bus.”
Cycle Sheffield – one of the biggest campaigning groups for a ‘cycle-friendly Sheffield’ – has been advocating for better accessibility for cyclists in the city. They often feature on council agendas and hold frequent meetings with local decision-makers to support their cause.
The group has seen these bike schemes come and go and learnt what mistakes need to be addressed to protect a potential new generation of bikes. “Having them docked would help,” Dexter said. “Being able to leave them anywhere made them more susceptible to theft or vandalism. If they were in docked locations it could be easier to manage.”
He added, “I don’t think the police were very proactive in dealing with that at the time. Perhaps they’ve improved on cycling and transport issues so maybe they’d be better at that now.”
Dexter believes that future bike hire schemes in Sheffield might need to feature E-Bikes to help casual cyclists tackle the city’s hills. Although this might raise costs, he feels Sheffield needs it because if the city is serious about sustainable transport, it needs to integrate a cycle hire scheme.
“Other major cities in the UK and around the world have bike hire schemes and Sheffield, if it aspires to high cycling levels, needs one too.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Leeds introduced its all-electric bike rental system in 2022 and already has 1,200 unique riders, showing there’s a large market for such schemes. The same can be said for London, Birmingham and Manchester where rental schemes have boosted cycling.
On October 17, 2024, £21 million was approved by Mayor Oliver Coppard for the Connecting Sheffield: City Centre project. This should mean better cycle routes, quicker construction and improved locations – but only time will tell.
For a hilly city like Sheffield, E-Bikes could be ideal for encouraging people to cycle. And while there’s not yet an official bike hire system, residents do have access to a pseudo-rental scheme: CycleBoost.
Developed in 2010 by ‘A Different Gear’ on behalf of Sheffield City Council, CycleBoost offers residents the chance to rent an E-Bike for £75 a month (including maintenance costs), helping meet demand for a rental scheme. The company also provides free cycling lessons for adults to ensure everyone rides safely.
Despite CycleBoost’s positive outlook, £75 may be a big commitment for many, particularly casual cyclists who may prefer quick and inexpensive rides.
Cycle Sheffield also promotes cycling through its annual Big Ride, a family-friendly event that highlights the need for safer cycling provisions in the city.
Sheffield’s urban landscape, wide streets and cycling infrastructure, coupled with a community open to biking, make it puzzling that it has been without a rental scheme for seven years.
Surely, it’s only a matter of time.
