Southampton cyclist says e-bike shortage is ‘scandalous’

But the council says the new provider has added more bikes and the scheme has proved 'very popular' with residents.

In June, Beryl Bikes was dropped as the provider of Southampton's e-bike hire scheme in favour of Voi - which operates the city's e-scooter scheme.

Neil Payton said that while operating as Beryl, he never had an issue getting a bike.

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Neil Payton (Image: NQ) But since the change, the 52-year-old has seldom been able to get a Voi bike at his local hire point on Hill Lane.

He said: “Its scandalous  - the last two months there have been barely any available.

“I live just north of Southampton Common and there is no easy bus route for me to catch – I often use the bikes to get to Southampton Central train station or to Portswood.

“Without a bus, it’s the only real way for me to travel without the use of a car.

“With the council planning to make areas such as Portswood Broadway inaccessible for motorists – I hope they increase the facilities for non-motorists.”

Beryl bikes have now been swapped for Voi bikes in the city (Image: NQ) Southampton city council plan to restrict cars using Portswood Broadway.

In response to Neil’s claims, Cllr Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport said: “The Voi rental e-bikes have been very popular since they launched 50 e-bikes as sole operator at the start of July which has led to a 350 per cent increase in e-bike utilisation.

“This month, Voi increased the fleet size and there are now currently 63 e-bikes in operation.

“The e-bike fleet size will continue to grow to 180 in the coming year to meet this increased demand.

“There is a toggle option in the Voi app map which allows you to only see e-bikes or e-scooters, rather than both, and this makes it much easier to see your nearest e-bike.”