The company behind the new fleet of electrics bikes recently launched in Nottingham has clarified why the vehicles do not come with helmets. Similar to the e-scooter trials, the bikes are available to hire across the city on a pay-as-you-go basis from Friday, April 14.
The scheme comes from a partnership between Nottingham City Council and e-bike providers Lime, which runs the same scheme in London, Milton Keynes and Salford. Riders will need to use the Lime app and will be required to park and collect e-bikes at one of about 100 designated parking bays around the city.
However, the devices do not include a helmet. Alice Pleasant, Public Affairs Manager at Lime, said that while helmets are not mandatory, they advise riders to wear one "for extra safety".
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She added: “Safety is our top priority for every Lime journey - for our riders and everyone sharing the streets.
"While helmets aren’t mandatory, we always advise our riders to wear one for extra safety. This includes regularly reminding them through in-app messages, community engagement and rider-communications."
She continued: "We are also committed to giving away free helmets for those that need them to encourage safe riding. We gave away over 500 helmets in the UK last year, and will be distributing more for Nottingham residents at our launch event in the coming weeks.”
According to the app, bikes require an initial £1 payment, with users being charged 19p per minute. This works out at £12.40 for a one-hour hire.
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