CoMoUK, the organisation that champions integrated mobility, has produced guidance for groups thinking about setting up a bike share scheme in their community or those already part way through the process. With the return to rail travel upcoming, now is a great time for community rail groups to look at encouraging active travel and combined sustainable travel modes that reduce car use.

The guidance has been produced over seven parts, covering all aspects of setting up a bike share scheme, from planning to delivery of a scheme. These guidance documents and further information on bike share schemes can be downloaded from the CoMoUK website.

Why set up a bike share scheme?

Sharing bikes can provide many benefits, which will vary from scheme to scheme, depending on what the project has set out to accomplish. Bike share schemes can support:

• Healthy lives through active travel;
• Low carbon travel;
• Low cost travel;
• Links to existing public transport (facilitating first and last mile journeys);
• Creating a nicer place to live by replacing and reducing car journeys;
• Bikes can help people access places and opportunities they may have not been able to before;
• Bike share attracts a higher proportion of female riders than traditional cycling;
• When e-bikes are used these can attract more older riders, those with health issues and they also encourage more use in hillier areas;
• Bike share can re-engage lapsed cyclists;
• Bike share can encourage users to buy their own.