Inverness Hi-Bike electric bike sharing scheme set to expand with new service in Elgin and station at Raigmore after challenging year
An Inverness bike-sharing scheme is set to expand in the coming months, just under a year after suffering a significant blow.
Since it first started in 2021, the scheme has weathered several setbacks, first seeing its first operator — the Canadian firm Bewegen — go into bankruptcy, and then being hit by a “relentless” spate of vandalism which left just 10 per cent of the fleet operational last summer.
Earlier this year, they also saw parts suppliers Rocky Mountain — another Canadian company which previously worked with Bewegen — being on the verge of bankruptcy.
Simon Erhardt, Hi-Bike operations manager, said this pushed the team behind the scheme — which was taken over by HITRANS in 2023 — to find alternative solutions, with positive news for the scheme coming in the next few months.
“I’m really proud of how far Hi-Bike has come in delivering eco-friendly, active travel across the Highlands through our systems in Fort William and Inverness,” he commented.
“We’ve got plenty of exciting developments in the pipeline as we continue to support our communities with transport that’s affordable, sustainable, and accessible— helping people move around more freely, conveniently, and healthily is something we really value being able to do.”
He said that in previous months members of the public highlighted the number of bikes stored in the city centre yard, explaining that this was due to the number of bicycles that have been donated to us from other systems throughout the country in the wake of Bewegen’s bankruptcy.
He said: “Bewegen were contracted to provide numerous bike share systems both in the UK and abroad. We have been able to use these bikes from the closed systems for spares for the bikes we have in use in Inverness and Fort William.
“We’ve rightfully had some inquiries about this from the public and other sources, but these are almost all bikes from other systems rather than vandalised ones from Inverness or Fort William.”
The team has also worked with WeGoShare, the company behind the system enabling the network to run, as they shift into the space left by the other companies.
A new fleet of bikes is set to be rolled out on the Inverness and Fort William roads this summer.
Mr Erhardt said: “WeGoShare have developed a new improved second generation of bikes, compatible with the docks and app infrastructure.
“These bikes are hoped to present a big improvement in usability and durability, and we are looking to start rolling those out in summer 2025.”
Expansion plans will also see a new docking station opening at Raigmore Hospital, which they hope will benefit both staff and patients, as well as launching a whole new system in Elgin, also expected to open this summer.
