Being headquartered here in Cardiff, we at Anything for Hire are always eager to find out of what is going on in the local hire market. And, this week, we were thrilled to learn that popular bike hire firm, NextBike, we introducing new bicycles to the city.
Whilst already having a presence in Cardiff, Nextbike now look to offer electric bikes to their Welsh customers, doubling the size of their fleet as a result.
Arriving in Cardiff last year, the residents and tourists of the area have hired NextBikes hundreds and thousands of times, proving particularly popular amongst the students of Cardiff. Covering 570km by 390,000 customers, Cardiffians make up a huge 51% of the brand’s customer base.
But, with the addition of electric bikes, the brand can attract and serve a whole new demographic of riders.
According to the company, they are particularly interested in accommodating disabled people, providing more adaptive bicycles that can serve their needs.
Due to the expansion, another 500 bikes will join the current fleet, requesting an additional 38 docs to house them.
A spokesperson from Pedal Power, the firm contracted to run the scheme in Cardiff, said:
“We don’t have enough bikes in the city at the moment. We need more and that’s why we’re getting more.
“We’re getting more people riding – people who have not ridden for a long time and now are. That’s the biggest success.”
But, the company are aware that there may well be some bumps along the way. Apparently, staff are experiencing many challenges when running the scheme. From an increased number of vandalisms reported to the bikes needing constant repairs due to the amount in which they are used, scaling up the number of bikes will mean scaling up the operation as a whole.
Let us know what you think. Is Cardiff ready for another 500 rental bikes? Leave your comments with us.
