NEW eBikes are now available for hire in the Stourbridge area, following the roll out of rentable pedal cycles.

The green and purple bikes eBikes were added yesterday (Wednesday December 8) to compliment the pedal bikes already available to hire from a number of docking stations across the Stourbridge and Wordsley area.

The eBikes, which give riders electric powered assistance which can be helpful for hills or to speed up the journey home, can be hired in the same way as the pedal bikes – by scanning the touchpad or entering the bike ID to release the bike.

An app also shows users where their nearest bike or eBike can be located.

eBikes cost £1.50 to unlock and 10p per minute of riding or users can hire them as part of a minute bundle and pay 5p per minute and the £1.50 unlock fee. This can be linked to a credit card or via the new Swift App.

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, Dudley's cabinet member for public realm, said: "The pedal bike scheme has been really popular and these new eBikes allow people who perhaps have a longer or more challenging journey to get there by bike. They’re also perfect for people returning to cycling, helping them on the hills as they build up their stamina.

"I’m really proud to be part of the scheme which encourages more people to leave their car at home, reducing the number of vehicles on the road and use this greener form of transport."

The cycle hire scheme has been delivered by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to encourage more people to become active and healthy and offer a convenient and environmentally friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys.

There are now 170 fixed docking stations and 1,500 bikes for hire across the region - 150 of which are eBikes.

Both bikes and eBikes can be hired, used and parked at stands across the region.

More details about the scheme, operated by Serco which runs London’s Santander Cycle Hire scheme, are available online at WMCycleHire.co.uk