Swansea University is celebrating a landmark 50,000 journeys being made by the Santander Cycles bike share scheme – proving how the scheme has gone from strength to strength in the city since its launch in 2018.
The convenient and affordable city-wide scheme, which is run by leading bikeshare provider nextbike, in conjunction with Santander and Swansea University, has been a hit with students, tourists and the local community.
The scheme was launched in July 2018, following a successful Santander Cycles Universities Challenge crowdfunding campaign, supported by university staff, students, Swansea Council, local businesses and the community, and now has six hire hubs at key points around Swansea. Although the scheme was suspended between March and July last year due to the pandemic, Santander Cycles Swansea are now proving more popular than ever, with a whopping 4,000 rentals last month alone.
Ben Lucas, Associate Director of Commercial Services at Swansea University said: “I am delighted we have had continued support from the whole community for this fantastic active travel initiative. Nextbike has put enhanced cleaning measures and checks in place to ensure that, in spite of the pandemic, the scheme continues to offer a healthy and safe alternative for people to travel around Swansea and a great way to exercise. I encourage everyone to keep enjoying the bikes and help spread the word about the benefits of bike sharing.”
Managing Director of nextbike Krysia Solheim said: “We're so happy to see our Santander Cycles Swansea system hit the 50,000 mark. It's become increasingly clear that this small system has been a lifeline to many people during the last year and we hope to continue to build and grow upon that success and demand. The March figures are phenomenal and the success has continued into April with a new high of 268 rentals on April 2nd.”