Electric bike usage surges across Glasgow as nearly 500,000 trips taken in first six months

Electric bike usage has soared across Glasgow, with the city's public hire scheme recording a dramatic rise in demand and pointing to a growing shift away from car use for short journeys.Glasgow City Council revealed that rides have increased by 311 per cent compared with the same period last year, as more residents adopt electric bikes for commuting, school runs, shopping trips and short cross-city travel.In total, riders have completed around 455,000 journeys since November, spending more than 7.29 million minutes on Voi e-bikes. Around 46,000 individual users have used the scheme over the six-month period, suggesting the growth is being driven by regular, repeat use rather than occasional trips. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The expansion has come alongside a rapid increase in the size and reach of the network, with 171 e-bike stations across Glasgow, around 60 more than this time last year.Riders can now pick up and drop off bikes across much of the city, supporting the last-mile travel between train stations, workplaces and neighbourhoods. Councillor Angus Millar, City Convener for Transport and Climate, said: With rides up compared with the same period last year, Glasgow's hire bike scheme is growing fast, being used more than ever, and helping more people move around the city in a cleaner, greener way.It's great to see Glaswegians continuing to benefit from a refreshed and improved scheme, and with our growing network of safer cycling routes taking shape across the city, Voi bikes are establishing themselves as a core transport choice.He explained that the system is designed to be easy for new users to adopt, with riders needing to download the Voi app, add payment details, select and unlock a bike.Certain locations across the city have emerged as key hotspots, with the University of Glasgow area near Byres Road being the busiest station in the city, recording 23,517 rides in six months.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSUK punished for Brexit as new 'Made in Europe' plans and tariffs impact vital car sectorDrivers face £160 fine in London as hundreds of road closures block access to carsMajor UK city rejects self-driving vehicle trials despite Labour backing new pilot schemesOther major hubs include stations outside Queen's Park railway station and at St Enoch Square, both recording more than 22,000 journeys in the same period.Harry Foskin, senior public policy manager at Voi Technology, said: As we celebrate six months of our e-bike scheme in Glasgow, we're proud to see how quickly people have embraced this new way of getting around the city.Our e-bikes are helping residents and visitors make cleaner, healthier and more convenient journeys every day, and we look forward to working closely with the council and local communities to build on this success in the months and years ahead.The operator explained that it will continue expanding the network and working with local authorities to increase accessibility in underserved neighbourhoods, with a focus on improving connections to public transport.The current scheme launched in November 2025, when Voi replaced the previous operator Nextbike and introduced a fully electric fleet alongside upgraded docking infrastructure and a rapidly expanding station network. The rollout forms part of Glasgow's wider strategy to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and encourage short car-free journeys as part of the city's net zero goals. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter