Forth Valley’s e-bike share scheme Forth Bike opened a new station on Friday 12 November at Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus.
This brings the number of Forth Bike stations in Forth Valley to 17 and local charity Forth Environment Link (FEL) have been instrumental in bringing Forth Bike to Forth Valley, with the first nine stations opening across the region in June 2019.
Earlier this year Forth Bike opened five new stations in Falkirk, and during the summer new virtual stations were introduced. The bike scheme has been a great success in Forth Valley, with over 96,000 miles travelled so far.
Forth Bike has gained over 8000 new members since January 2021. The users have different membership options, ranging from 30-minute pay per ride pass to monthly, annual and three-hour ones. In addition, students can claim their annual membership for just £40.
Shirley Paterson, Active Travel Development Manager with FEL, said: “We’re delighted to see the scheme growing. The total number of stations now stands at 17, almost double the number of the original stations. Making getting about on two wheels even easier and giving students and staff an affordable and environmentally way to travel to and from the college.”
Pauline Donaldson, Forth Valley College’s Soft Services and Sustainability Manager, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Forth Bike’s 17th electric bike hire Station at our new Falkirk Campus and thank Forth Environment Link who manage the scheme in Forth Valley for involving us in this project. Forth Bike uses the latest electric bikes from Canadian firm Bewegen Technologies and our aim is to provide the option of an environmentally friendly way to travel. We are positive that our students and staff are going to benefit enormously from what the bikes and the hub have to offer. We are also sure that it will inspire others to cycle to the campus more often, safe in the knowledge this excellent resource is available to them any time they need it.”
Suvi Loponen, Forth Bike’s business development and community outreach officer said: “This station’s launch does not bring the number of our stations up to a round double figure, but it marks something remarkable nevertheless - the huge growth of our bike share! For the past year we’ve all been attending many virtual events and we now finally have the chance to celebrate not only this station, but the many others that have opened during the last 18 months. It’s been amazing to witness the expansion of the scheme, both in the number of users, but also in connecting all parts of Forth Valley.“
The photo shows FVC student trying out the new bikes at the Falkirk Campus watched by Suvi Loponen, Wai Mun Lee FVC’s Leisure Facilities Coordinator, Pauline Donaldson, FVC’s Soft Services and Sustainability Manager, Kristian Lustre a new FVC Kickstart employee by Tam Brown (black hat) Richard Lloyd (red jacket) from Recyke-a-Bike.