Totnes Town Council have worked alongside Exeter-based social enterprise, Co Bikes, to successfully apply for £25,000 funding to trial an e-bike scheme in the town.
The successful bid for funding through South Hams District Council’s Climate Infrastructure Fund will contribute four stations and eight bikes to support an already growing network which will total seven e-bike stations and 26 bikes across Totnes and Dartington. The trial is expected to start in 2023 and will run for 12 months. It is hoped the trial will prove the scheme is viable and enable it to become a permanent service in town with a wider offering.
Cllr Emily Price, Mayor of Totnes, said: “E-bike have for many years been discussed as a way to enable residents and visitors to travel around our hilly area in a healthier and more sustainable way. We are delighted to be working with Co Bikes to finally enable visitors and residents who cannot afford one of their own to reap the benefits that they bring.”
The bikes will be the same type as those already found in Exeter and at Baltic Wharf and will be available to hire on-demand through the Co Bikes app. The final details of the scheme are still being worked out and more details will follow.
Helen Scholes, Marketing and Partnerships Manager for CoBikes, said: “We are really excited to be trialling an e-bike network in Totnes and Dartmouth.
“Because they are electric, our bikes can easily tackle hills and shorten journey times whilst helping people avoid getting tired or sweaty, giving them the confidence to make journeys by bike they may not have previously considered.
“E-bikes also reduce car journeys – in a recent survey, 54% of respondents said they used our bikes to make trips that would have otherwise been done by car.”
