Businessman loans e-bikes and scooters to HSE workers

A Galway company which rents out electric bikes and scooters is providing free transport for healthcare workers struggling to get to work.

Colin Barry, owner of Brite Mobility, heard that frontline workers were too scared to use their own cars if sharing with their families. They also were finding it difficult to use public transport since schedules were scaled back due to the drastic cut in the numbers of people working. Many were afraid to even get on a bus or into a taxi in case they were infected.

He got in touch with the HSE offering hospital staff the use of his vehicles during the lockdown.

“We have 65 e-bikes and e-scooters on loan now to mainly nurses and doctors. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We have one consultant coming in as far as Barna, others are scattered across Knocknacarra, Doughiska, Salthill. They don’t share them due to coronavirus, so they have full use of it while they need it for work,” he explained.

“The HSE nationally ramped up hours so they are working really long hours so they need to get in and out of work quickly. Now it’s taking them 15 minutes to commute – instead of 45 minutes to an hour.”

While Colin is at home taking care of his three-month-old baby and two-year-old son, he has three staff looking after maintenance, technical issues and customer service.

He predicts he will be able to absorb the cost of allowing the HSE staff to use his electric devices for a month or two before he will have to pull the plug. He is hoping for corporate donations or for members of the public to pledge their financial support through an online fundraising page.

So far, €1,300 has been donated for the scheme with a target set of €6,000.

Colin set up Brite Mobility last July after his family sold their car dealership, Motorpark (Barry Motors) on the Headford Road, which had been established by his grandfather.

Colin is convinced that shared electric vehicles are the way forward for city transport following the huge success of similar schemes in major cities in the world such as London, Barcelona and New York.

While push bike schemes – such as the Coca Cola Bike Scheme in Galway – have been a bit hit in the likes of Dublin, they have not really captured the public imagination in smaller cities like Galway.

With legislation due to be enacted by the incoming government regulating the use of e-scooters on public roads, he hopes to be the first to bring in a rental scheme in Galway, Limerick and Cork.

“In the UK some of the shared e-bikes and e-scooters have had eight times the take-up of push bike schemes – electric really is the key. They go at 25km/h, people can wear a suit and arrive at work without having to shower and it’s much cheaper than keeping a car on the road,” he enthuses.

“We’re hoping to partner up with some of the American multinationals to set up schemes for employees to cut down on the traffic jams and free up parking space. At the moment, we’re looking at a €150 commuter charge but we hope to bring that down.”

An e-bike can cost around €2,000 while an e-scooter will set you back around €600. The beauty of renting them is the company takes care of the maintenance.

Since setting up on Eyre Street and before the coronavirus lockdown, there has been an average rental of between 20 and 30 e-bikes or scooters, mainly to tourists. The daily rental for an e-bike is €30 while an e-scooter costs €20.

Users sign up to an app with their bank cards, scan their details when they take it out and return the device to the designated point. If a scheme similar to the Coca Cola bikes was rolled out, there would be stations dotted across the city and suburbs.

“We’ve had town centre employees who live in Salthill, Knocknacarra and Mervue using it. A lot of students use them to go to work or grinds. We’ve had social workers who get off the train at Eyre Square and then use them to get to appointments.

“The use case is huge. I really believe this is the future for getting people around Irish cities. Our reliance on cars to the detriment of people’s lives and the environment can’t go on.”

E-bikes can do 70km before needing a charge, while scooters go as far as 16km.

The new legislation will likely outlaw their use on footpaths and by those under 16. There will also be a power limit of 350 watts, which is the industry standard and mandatory use of helmets.

He has already held discussions with Galway City Council about partnering up to roll out a scheme across town but little progress has yet been made.

“Bringing micro-mobility to transport infrastructure is the norm across Europe and the world. Ireland is just way behind. We work with a lot of the big suppliers so could push to 1,000 devices very quickly if we need to.”

To help fund the transport for healthcare workers, log onto GoFundMe.

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