Up to 1000 E-Bikes Could be Introduced Across Stoke-on-Trent

A new hire scheme could give residents an alternative to travelling by car - but its success will depend on affordability, safety and the council's ability to prevent nuisance parking.

Up to 1,000 electric bicycles could be introduced across Stoke-on-Trent under recently approved plans.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Cabinet has agreed to begin procuring an operator to provide, maintain and manage an e-bike hire scheme across the city’s six towns.

The scheme would operate as a commercial concession, meaning the successful company would supply and run the bicycles without an ongoing subsidy from the council.

Residents would be able to hire the electrically assisted bicycles for short journeys to workplaces, colleges, town centres and public transport connections.

The council believes the scheme could reduce congestion, improve air quality and provide another option for people who do not own a car.

Around 70% of car journeys are shorter than five miles, while one in four covers less than a mile. Replacing even a proportion of those journeys with cycling could release capacity on the city’s roads.

Electric assistance could also overcome one of Stoke-on-Trent’s most obvious barriers to conventional cycling: its hills.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure, Planning and Regeneration, said: 

“Many everyday car journeys are relatively short.

“E-bikes could offer a practical alternative for some of those trips, helping people travel to work, education, town centres and public transport connections.

“The scheme would be provided and maintained by an experienced operator at no cost to the council, with clear arrangements in place to ensure it is safe, well managed and works for our communities.”

The proposal forms part of a wider transport programme, with more than £105 million in government funding secured for investment in the city’s buses, roads, walking and cycling routes between 2026 and 2030.

Similar schemes have attracted significant use elsewhere. An e-bike service introduced in Glasgow in November 2025 reportedly recorded 170,000 journeys during its first five months.

What are the risks?

Shared e-bike schemes can provide a useful form of transport, but their introduction has not been trouble-free in every part of the country.

One of the most visible concerns is inconsiderate parking. Bikes abandoned across pavements can create obstructions for pedestrians and pose particular difficulties for wheelchair users, parents with pushchairs and people with sight loss.

The proposed Stoke-on-Trent contract is expected to include designated parking arrangements and technology known as geofencing, which can restrict where bikes are ridden or returned.

Repeated misuse could also lead to sanctions against individual users.

Of course, those protections will need to be properly enforced. A system that identifies unsuitable parking but leaves obstructing bikes in place for several hours would do little to reassure residents.

Vandalism and theft represent another risk. Other public cycle schemes have faced substantial repair costs and the disappearance or deliberate damage of bikes. Under Stoke-on-Trent’s proposed concession, the operator would carry the commercial and maintenance responsibilities, rather than the council.

However, persistent vandalism could still reduce the availability and reliability of the service - or ultimately make it commercially unviable.

There are also questions about cost. The council has described e-bikes as an affordable alternative, but the final hire charges will be determined through the procurement process.

If unlocking fees and per-minute charges make regular journeys more expensive than travelling by bus, the scheme may appeal mainly to occasional users rather than residents who most need an affordable transport option.

The location of bicycles will matter too. Concentrating them around Hanley or university areas might produce the greatest immediate demand, but it would fall short of creating a genuinely city-wide service across all six towns.

Finally, e-bikes alone cannot compensate for gaps in safe cycling infrastructure. Riders need connected routes, secure parking and junctions they can navigate confidently and safely. Without them, some residents may remain reluctant to use the service regardless of how many bikes are available.

A promising idea - but delivery will decide its value

The proposal has clear potential. Stoke-on-Trent’s geography makes electric assistance particularly useful, while its dispersed town centres create numerous short journeys that do not always require a car.

The concession model also limits the immediate financial risk to the council, although the authority could still face some costs associated with establishing and overseeing the contract.

But the announcement of up to 1,000 bikes should not be mistaken for a guaranteed rollout. The council must first identify an operator capable of delivering a safe and commercially sustainable service. Council leaders have indicated that the proposal could be abandoned if procurement shows it is not viable.

The real test will be whether the scheme is affordable, distributed fairly across the six towns and managed firmly enough to prevent pavement obstruction and misuse.

If those conditions are met - and the bicycles are supported by safe, connected routes - the scheme is highly likely to become a practical addition to Stoke-on-Trent’s transport network.