Electric Bikes Help Bristol City Council Staff Work More Sustainably

A new scheme is helping Bristol City Council staff travel more sustainably as they work around the city.

Six electric bikes are being used by the Family Intervention Service to help families across Bristol. They also have access to an electric pool car charged at electric charging point at Knowle West Media Centre.  The car can be used by centre staff, the local community and organisations based in the area including the council.

The Family Intervention team works with families facing difficulties related to youth crime, antisocial behaviour, persistent school absence and lack of employment.

Amanda Delaney, East Central Supervisor, Family Intervention Team said: “The electric bikes have enabled the team to negotiate East Central in an eco-friendly efficient way saving time and money – so that both the team and the community in which we work benefit.”

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, who is an electric bike user himself, said: “City Council staff cover several miles a week as they support communities across the city so the more we can do to travel around sustainably the better.   Electric bikes and cars can make a significant contribution towards reducing pollution on our city streets so I urge other employers to join us in using them as a way to do business.”

The electric charge point at KWMC is part of the Source West scheme, a region-wide programme funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the European Union and the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles. It sees charging points installed and monitored in many locations including many council car parks.  There are currently 24 charge points around Bristol at 14 different locations.  Across the entire West of England region there are plans for a total of 166 charge points by March 2015.

The electric bikes and cars are provided by Co-Wheels, a national car club that operates as a social enterprise.

The pilot is part of the council’s Go Low scheme which is encouraging sustainability across all areas of its work. The council is hoping to extend the electric bike scheme so more council teams can operate with lower impact on the environment and help improve traffic flow.

Co-Wheels is funded by Bristol City Council’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund to create a low emission travel service for organisations and communities in Bristol.