Edinburgh's Voi e-bike scheme becomes Europe's busiest after 550,000 trips

What is the background?

The City of Edinburgh Council launched a trial e-bike hire scheme with operator Voi in September 2025, replacing an earlier scheme, Just Eat Cycles, which ended in 2021. Edinburgh e-bike scheme growth has been rapid enough that the council has expanded coverage three times in five months.

What happened?

Since launch, Edinburgh’s Voi e-bikes have logged almost 550,000 trips by around 53,500 users, covering approximately 1.3 million kilometres. Riders average 8.4 trips per vehicle per day — well above the roughly 2.5 trips per vehicle per day that bike-share operators typically consider a healthy benchmark.

That trip rate makes Edinburgh’s scheme the most successful e-bike hire scheme in Europe by rides per vehicle, according to Voi’s own performance data reported in local coverage.

How did it happen?

The scheme started small: 50 bikes across 39 parking locations in September 2025. Eight months later, the fleet had grown to more than 800 bikes across 200 locations, expanding three times in five months to keep pace with demand. The council has said it plans to bring bikes to Portobello, Cramond, Gorgie, and Dalry ahead of the city’s festival season.

Compared with the previous Just Eat Cycles scheme, which ran until 2021, the Voi bikes have recorded 2.6 times as many rides in a comparable period — a signal that e-bikes, rather than pedal bikes alone, changed how many residents were willing to use bike-share for everyday trips.

Why does it matter?

A scheme performing at more than three times the industry’s typical viability benchmark suggests genuine demand for short e-bike trips in a hilly city where a standard pedal bike is a harder sell. High utilisation also means each bike offsets more car or bus trips than a lightly used scheme would.

The rapid, repeated expansion — three times in five months — shows the council responding to real-time usage data rather than a fixed rollout plan, letting supply follow where demand actually appears.

What were the key results?

• Almost 550,000 trips recorded since the scheme launched in September 2025
• Around 53,500 individual users to date
• Approximately 1.3 million kilometres cycled
• 8.4 trips per vehicle per day, against an industry benchmark of about 2.5
• Fleet grew from 50 bikes in 39 locations to over 800 bikes in 200 locations in eight months
• Ranked the most successful e-bike scheme in Europe by trips per vehicle per day
• 2.6 times more rides recorded than the previous Just Eat Cycles scheme achieved in a comparable period

What happens next?

The City of Edinburgh Council plans to extend coverage to Portobello, Cramond, Gorgie, and Dalry before the festival season.

Voi and the council will continue monitoring usage data to decide where future expansions are needed.

The council said it will assess whether high-demand areas need dedicated parking bays to reduce pavement clutter as the fleet grows further. Riders considering their own bike for regular routes often pair it with a cycling helmet for the commute — our guide covers certified lids riders actually keep wearing.

Transport officials in other Scottish cities are watching Edinburgh’s expansion pace as a reference point for their own e-bike scheme planning.