Teversham residents get access to e-bikes

Teversham residents now have access to low-cost e-bikes to commute to work, shopping and leisure, thanks to a parish council cycling project funded by the South Cambridgeshire Zero Carbon Communities Fund.

Teversham is the second village to have an e-bike option, following a trial in Great Abington in August. Riders download the Bizbike app which then locates an available e-bike, and the app also unlocks the bike and pays for the ride.The e-bikes - suitable for all ages - are based in lockers located in different parts of Teversham to make them accessible to all residents, with a maximum 10-minute walk to a locker. Teversham residents qualify for half-price rides ranging from 50p for one hour to £2.60 for six hours and £4.60 for 12 hours.

The chair of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s climate and environment advisory committee, Cllr Pippa Heylings, said: “We are delighted to have contributed just under £14,500 to Teversham Parish Council’s e-bike project through our popular Zero Carbon Communities Grant scheme. The e-bikes, lockers and stands will encourage more people to consider cycling as we look towards a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our ambition is for South Cambridgeshire to become net zero carbon before 2050, and we can only do that if we all work together. That is why local grassroots projects like this are so valuable. We’re looking forward to announcing the next tranche of successful applicants to our Zero Carbon Communities scheme in the months ahead.”

Chris van der Walle, the Teversham parish councillor co-ordinating the project, said: “We want to improve residents’ transport options for commuting to work and access to shops and services. The four e-bikes are located around the parish, within two to three miles of major employers, public healthcare, supermarkets, shops and leisure.”

Sean Moroney, CEO of Cambridge Electric Transport, added: “We are delighted to be working with Teversham Parish Council and South Cambridgeshire to make e-cycling more accessible to residents. We hope to be expanding the service to many more villages over the coming year.”

Residents were able to take trial rides at the Teversham Recreation Ground yesterday (October 31).

The e-bikes are supplied and managed by Cambridge Electric Transport through its Bizbike Community E-bike service.