Leading bike share provider nextbike has announced a new partnership with an award-winning Wales-based cycling charity for its Swansea Santander Cycles scheme.
BikeAbility Wales, which provides cycling opportunities for people of all abilities in the Swansea region, will maintain and distribute the fleet of bicycles at the Swansea University campus and for people in the wider community.
The Santander Cycles scheme was launched by Swansea University in July last year following victory in the Santander Cycles University Challenge. The city joined London, Milton Keynes and Brunel to become one of four Santander-backed bike share schemes. The scheme has 55 bikes and six stations that will be serviced by BikeAbility Wales’s experienced team.
nextbike UK managing director Krysia Solheim said the new local service provider partnership was great for the future of cycling in the area.
“Local service providers allow nextbike to connect with the community by offering a more hands-on service and with their help, we are able to keep in close contact with the world around our schemes,” she said.
“BikeAbility Wales mirrors our desire to make cycling more accessible for all. We’re looking forward to working with the team and to providing Swansea University and the surrounding area with more connected and sustainable travel.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our previous service partner, Richard Smith, for setting up and supporting the scheme during its first year of operation.”
Ben Lucas, Head of Commercial Development at Swansea University said:
“The scheme is a great way for students and staff to be able to get around the campus and surrounding area. We are excited to continue our partnership with nextbike as we head into the new academic year and welcome BikeAbility Wales’s involvement.”
Mike Cherry, Manager at BikeAbility Wales said:
“The charity is looking forward to working in partnership with nextbike and the University to provide accessible cycling opportunities for Swansea’s University students, staff and the wider community and to promote cycling as a means of sustainable transport.”
Tom Barrett, Relationship Manager, Santander Universities UK said:
“Since its launch last year, the Santander Cycles Swansea scheme has proven incredibly popular with students and the wider community with more than 11,000 subscriptions to date and a growing presence across the city. We look forward to continuing to provide the local community with a fun and sustainable way of getting around.”
nextbikes are available 24 hours a day and users can register and hire bikes in just a couple of minutes. The cycle-share scheme is one of the cheapest ways to get around a city, with fees starting from as little as 16p per day.
