Cardiff and the Vale’s popular OVO Bikes scheme is back with a bang with more than 26,000 rentals being made since it was relaunched a month ago in the city.
Scheme operator nextbike said customers had welcomed the fleet back with open arms, with more than 1,000 rentals a day being made most days from February 8 – 12, despite the cold and dreary February weather.
The scheme was temporarily withdrawn from service in November after months of vandalism and thefts, but was relaunched last month with over 350 bicycles – much to the relief of OVO Bike customers. More OVO Bikes will be added to the scheme over the coming months.
Nextbike MD, Krysia Solheim, said it was clear that Cardiff and the Vale had not lost their appetite for bike share.
“The rental numbers we’ve seen over the last week have been phenomenal, with almost three rides per bike per day for much of last week,” said Ms Solheim. “That’s a really high figure, especially given that we’re still in the grips of winter – when traditionally bike share rentals often drop because of the inclement weather.
“As a comparison, our Glasgow OVO Bikes fleet saw an average of two rentals per bike when the world descended on the city during the UN’s COP26 Climate conference, which highlights just how impressive Cardiff and the Vale’s figures are.
“We may have been away for a couple of months, but it looks like the region’s love affair with the bicycle hasn’t been diminished.”
While the fleet was off the streets for repair, nextbike worked alongside various stakeholders including South Wales Police, Cardiff Council and the Vale of Glamorgan Council to engage with the public in a bid to reduce cycle-related crime in the area and a new group – the Cardiff Cycle Crime Reduction Partnership – was formed to tackle the issue.
Ms Solheim said despite the scheme’s continued popularity, nextbike had encountered isolated incidents of vandalism since the bikes were put back on the streets.
“We have had several incidents of vandalism, which is obviously disappointing. South Wales Police have been incredibly proactive in helping us deal with incidents. The majority of the Cardiffians and our OVO Bikes family have been incredibly supportive and have told us how glad they have been to have their bikes back on the streets. We continue to encourage the public to report any crime they see in progress immediately to South Wales Police and we’d like to thank everyone who has already helped alert us of incidents they’ve witnessed.”
Inspector Darren Grady, from South Wales Police, said: “It is fantastic to have the bikes back on the streets and we see the bikes being used daily around the city.
“But a word of warning to anyone who damages or attempts to steal any of the bikes – we will do all we can to identify and arrest you.
“We are committed to working with nextbike and the local authority to protect the scheme and prevent these offences.”
