To receive the above presentation

The Forum received a presentation from Julian Scriven of Nextbike UK. Mr Scriven explained that bike sharing had started in the1960s with the first recorded scheme in Amsterdam. The guiding principle of Nextbike was that cycling, and therefore bike shares, should be for everyone. Nextbike undertook a lot of promotion to non-core cyclists. Nextbike worked collaboratively with councils to discuss what would work in their area. The company was strongly focussed on innovation. It was important that a bike share scheme was also positive for those not using it; it should not be an inconvenience to others.

Nextbike had 45,000 bikes worldwide in 25 countries. The company had been founded in 2004 in Europe and had subsequently spread to the USA, UK and India. They had five existing schemes operating in the UK and five UK launches had been confirmed for the first half of 2018. Nextbike offered customised system types including station based, free floating and hybrid systems. Bikes were built to the highest European standards and would survive 10 years of use. Unlike those in London, Nextbikes held all their technology in the bike itself rather than in the terminal. This allowed for lighter on-street infrastructure and provided GPS and wifi triangulation on the bikes themselves.

Nextbike users could unlock bikes in a number of ways, using a smartphone app, via the bike computers, with a smart card and through a 24 hour customer contact centre. Geofencing technology was increasingly being used to directly control where bikes could and could be returned. Nextbike offered a 24 hour extraction of faulty bikes and bikes abandoned in in appropriate places within 1 hour if in high security locations. Nextbike offered a rebalancing scheme to ensure bikes were available in the right places at the right time. Service teams were often third sector organisations including local charities trying to get people back to work.

Mr Scriven commented that Windsor was a unique place and therefore presented challenges, including limited shared public space, a high tourist influx and legitimate security concerns. Nextbike would propose infrastructure-light docking stations for the town which would help address the space and security issues. These could be moved in 2-3 hours to accommodate events. A geofencing overlay could alert the service team, and the police if necessary, if a bike had been left somewhere other than a docking station. A tariff structure could allow for differentials between charges for tourists, residents and concessions.

In response to questions, Mr Scriven confirmed:

·         Three gearing options were available (3/7/8) to deal with hilly areas.

·         Areas such as the Long Walk could be defined as embargoed parking zones. It would be made clear in terms and conditions that membership would be revoked if a person cycled in an embargoed zone.

·         The app could include local cycle routes.

·         If a base station were removed, the app would automatically be updated.

·         All bikes displayed identification numbers.

·         The police would be able to move or remove bikes. The role of RBWM Ambassadors could be investigated to report / relocate abandoned bikes.

·         The standard membership was £60 per year which allowed for the first half hour of each ride for free and 50p thereafter. Residents could be offered membership for £30 or less and an extended free period.

·         Nextbike tried to avoid the council paying directly for any infrastructure; often sponsors could be brought on board or grant funding for sustainable transport could be utilised. Partial capital funding by Nextbike was also an option. In the long term revenue covered costs.

·         A minimum density of 50 bikes was required for viability, with 100+ bikes preferred.

·         Nextbike had experienced issues in Milton Keynes with vandalism of bikes, possible as there were a number of cycle routes away from main roads.

·         Seasonal demand could be addressed by changing stock levels.

The Chairman thanked Mr Scriven for his presentation. He explained that the Forum had requested a presentation from another bike share provider. After that, it would consider a recommendation to Cabinet.