Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown launches eBike rental pilot project

Gary Ibbotson 13 Sep 2022

As part of Climate Action Week 2022, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and ESB launched their eBike pilot project today in Sandyford Business District.

This will be the fourth bike share scheme in the county where users can rent a bike for a short period using a smart phone app.

An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Councillor Mary Hanafin welcomed this pilot and said: “This pilot eBike scheme will give people the opportunity to travel around the county in a different way with many users trying an electric bike for the first time.

“I am sure the bikes will prove to be popular with people who live and work around the County as well as the many visitors who are looking to be active as they explore.”

The pilot programme will run for a 10 month period and include 112 bikes with 14 e-charging stations in some of Dublin’s busiest commuter locations across the four Dublin local authorities with two locations in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown; on Three Rock Road in the Sandyford Business District and on Crofton Road in Dún Laoghaire, behind the Dart station.

Bleeper and Moby Bike Share Operators will maintain and operate the eBikes via their apps with the charging infrastructure provided by ESB as part of their docking station.

Frank Curran, Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said said that “this new eBike pilot gives residents and visitors more options for making shorter journeys by bike and this will contribute towards meeting our climate action goals of reducing air pollution, congestion and CO2 emissions whilst also developing a market for commercial shared e-mobility providers as well as improving the health and wellbeing of users.”

As part of the pilot, Trinity College Dublin will analyse commuter behaviour in relation to e-mobility transference from private cars to a shared low-carbon travel solution and will identify key mobility patterns, calculate carbon savings, and evaluate commercial potential based on data collected from ESB eBikes.