New bike hire plan welcomed by street campaigners

Campaigners have endorsed a new deal for cycle and e-scooter hire in the West Midlands and called for a "drastic" expansion of the scheme.

Better Streets for Birmingham welcomed the announcement Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) had selected Lime to run so-called micromobility services from April 1.

The agreement means more than 2,000 new e-bikes and e-scooters will hit West Midlands streets with the scheme being run at no cost to the taxpayer, saving TfWM around £1.4 million per year.

Martin Price, chair of Better Streets for Birmingham, said: "E-bikes and e-scooters are a backbone of many major cities.

"Lime has a great reputation, especially for getting to and from major events, and they fully understand the challenges under the old scheme.

"We now need to see Lime drastically expand the scheme's coverage and availability, along with councils helping to facilitate new virtual and physical docks at a pace that matches Lime's ambition for the region."

In October last year, TfWM granted a short-term extension to the existing contracts to enable a new provider to be found.

Bosses said they had wanted the new agreement, which comes into effect from 1 April, not to rely on public subsidy to keep the schemes going.

Lime is introducing a new fare structure but will maintain existing overall price levels for the first two years to make sure sustainable travel remains affordable, the company said.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said: "By bringing in a brand-new fleet of bikes and scooters and freezing prices for the next two years, we're making sure there's a practical and affordable green alternative for shorter journeys helping to tackle traffic congestion and improve the air we breathe.

"By securing a partnership that operates at no cost to the taxpayer, we are saving the public purse more than £1 million a year.

"This is money we can now reinvest back into our regional transport, delivering better journeys for everyone."

Full details of the new scheme are being finalised and will be announced, along with the launch of a new app for customers, closer to the start of the new service

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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