Fort William’s e-bikes have disappeared from the streets.
Lochaber’s e-bike sharing program, Hi-Bike, is owned and operated by Canadian company Move.
And now it has emerged that the company is going through “operational issues.”
But what does this mean for the future of the program?
Move was hired by Lochaber Environmental Group to bring the program to Fort William, which started on April 4, 2022.
Hi-Bike Fort William has a total of 60 e-bikes and eight charging stations.
Docking stations are distributed throughout the city as well as in surrounding areas such as Inverlochy, Caol and Corpach.
When will the e-bikes be returned?
Move confirms they are currently experiencing “operational issues”.
While they can’t confirm when e-bikes are coming back, Move has made it clear that they don’t intend to remove the program entirely.
Hi-Bike Fort William was created by Patrick Harvey, Secretary of State for Active Travel, who cut the ribbon at Caol. Image provided by LEG/Iain Ferguson.
A spokesman says: “We are working flat out to get the bikes back to the stations as soon as possible.”
“We want to make sure they’re safe before we do that.”
The Lochaber Environmental Group (LEG) board says it is aware that moving is currently facing “financial difficulties”.
The board explains: “This has resulted in the bikes not being distributed around the hubs in the way they should be over the past few days.
“It has also resulted in a reduction in maintenance capacity, so bikes have been temporarily removed for safety reasons.”
Move also runs e-bike programs in Inverness, Edinburgh and the Forth Valley
LEG is not responsible for the daily operation of the system. However, they are “very keen” that it will help reduce short car journeys and make active travel easier.
“With more than 27,000 kilometers driven since April last year, it has been a success so far,” LEG reports.
Additionally, Fort William’s e-bikes have been ridden a total of over 8,000 times since the program began.
LEG has also confirmed that they are working with other Bewegungs e-bike sharing programs “to find a way forward and to get the bikes back into circulation”.
These include, in particular, the programs of Move in Inverness, Edinburgh and Forth Valley.
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[Where have Fort William’s e-bikes gone? Hi-Bike operators are facing ‘financial difficulties’]
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