E-bike hire scheme could return to Peterborough after cancelled Voi trial

An e-bike and e-scooter hiring scheme could be trialled in Peterborough.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), responsible for transport in the region, says it will “seek to investigate the feasibility” of such a scheme in the city.

“This exploration will involve collaboration with central government, potential suppliers, and the city council,” it adds in a report. A timescale is not included.

Also not mentioned is Peterborough’s doomed trial with Voi, in which the company withdrew its e-bikes from the city because of “persistent acts of criminality, including arson and vandalism”.

In January last year, two years after the trial had begun, 40 Voi e-bikes were removed from Peterborough, but not before 70 had been damaged beyond repair.

A spokesperson for the company said at the time that its e-bike rental service would be “permanently removed from Peterborough” as damage to the bikes resulted in an “unsustainable level of maintenance and repair”.

The Voi trial continues in Cambridge, where three million e-bike and e-scooter trips have been undertaken by 168,000 people since 2021.

It’s now expected to expand to surrounding areas including Horningsea, Babraham and possibly Waterbeach.

Cambourne, Huntingdon and St Ives are also all possible future locations for the bikes and scooters, but there are no firm plans yet in place for a wider expansion.

Another future change, for which there also isn’t yet a definite timeline, is greater regulation of private e-bikes and e-scooters by the Department for Transport (DfT).

While a separate issue, illegal use of private vehicles concern residents and an already busy police force, councillors said at a CPCA meeting.

Transport manager Anna Graham responded that DfT will consider regulations such as speed limits and acceptable wheel size, but that it isn’t on the agenda for this parliamentary year.

Separately, an e-cargo bike try-before-you-buy trial is planned in Peterborough, also by the CPCA.

It could begin in April if funding is secured.