Pedro Couto Lopes
June 28, 2023 [Bike rental software]
Making cycling e-asier
Managing skills and confidence sessions across England with Cycling UK
About Cycling UK
Cycling UK mission is to enable millions more to cycle. Cycling UK has championed the cause of cycling for more than 140 years. They promote all forms of cycling, protect the interests of existing and would-be cyclists, and inspire people across the UK to discover the joys of cycling.
Why bike.rent Manager?
Initially we were drawn to bike.rent Manager as the system is specifically designed for bicycles and easy to configure. bike.rent Manager allows us to offer Making cycling e-asier beneficiaries a simple and straightforward booking system, which enables everyone, including those who aren’t tech-savvy to sign up to the scheme.
How does bike.rent Manager help Cycling UK deliver the Making cycling e-asier campaign?
Delivered by Cycling UK, Making cycling e-asier offers communities across England the chance to try e-cycling for short everyday journeys for free. People based in Manchester, Sheffield, Leicester and Luton and Dunstable can sign up for free one-month e-cycle loans or free skills and confidence sessions through bike.rent Manager.
bike.rent Manager allows us to manage a fleet of almost 1000 e-cycles, which are delivered through over 20 selected community hubs, workplaces and Evans Cycles stores, in an efficient and consistent way. We have also connected bike.rent Manager to our CRM systems making it possible to offer participants wider support.
In what specific ways has bike.rent Manager made the booking process for the skills and confidence sessions more efficient?
Our skills and confidence sessions allow people to familiarise themselves with e-cycling. Whether they are a keen cyclist already, or they haven’t ridden in a while, our dedicated team are on hand to give participants the skills and requirements they need to pedal an e-cycle with confidence. bike.rent Manager means that people can book a one-hour session in just a few clicks, it also provides them with all the information they need beforehand.
By using bike.rent Manager, we have been able to manage e-cycles for skills and confidence sessions across all sites while maintaining a uniform level of service.
Paul's experience of 'Making cycling e-asier' workplace scheme
Paul Wilcox, IT operations centre manager at Samworth Brothers signed up to the Making cycling e-asier workplace scheme and has so far seen considerable benefits from switching from car to e-cycle for his daily commute:
“I’ve always wanted to cycle to work but I never had that magical moment of doing it. I try to exercise every day, but I’ve got a busy personal and work life, so it’s finding time to fit that in. With my e-bike loan I pedalled eight miles both to and from work – commuting this way kills two birds with one stone as I get daily exercise when I’d otherwise be sitting in the car, and that’s quite an achievement.
“I have absolutely saved money by pedalling instead of driving for my daily commute.”
After returning his free one-month e-cycle loan, Paul dusted off an old bike that was lying at the back of his shed and took it to a local bike shop to be serviced. He now pedals to work regularly.
