Around 100 bikes from the council’s collapsed bike hire scheme in Reading have been repurposed, it has been revealed.

The ReadyBike scheme was set up in 2015, allowing cyclists to hire bikes from bays spread across the town.

However, by 2019 the scheme faltered as its external operator HourBike ended its contract with the council, and 150 out of a total of 200 bikes were put in storage.

The fate of these bikes has been revealed after councillor Clarence Mitchell asked a question about what had happened to them at a full council meeting yesterday (Tuesday, March 22).

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Cllr Mitchell, Conservative group leader and Peppard representative said: “Following the mothballing of ReadyBike in 2019 at a cost to the local and national taxpayer of around £1.9 million, and following the Government’s funding of many more cycle lanes in 2020, what are the short and long term plans for ReadyBike?

“It’s not right to lock up, hide away, and allow to rust taxpayers assets when the council should be doing everything possible to encourage healthy and environmentally friendly transport solutions around our town.”

The question was asked on the third anniversary of the bikes being locked up and the seventh anniversary of its launch.

It was answered by cllr Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) the lead member for transport, who explained up to 100 bikes have been repurposed.

Of those, up to 50 were donated to local hotels in March 2021, and up to 50 were donated to small businesses in September 2021, with both donations aimed at aiding the post pandemic recovery in Reading.

The remaining bikes were in a poor state of repair and have since been recycled.

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But the council has not completely abandoned the scheme, as a new operator could take on the scheme, and new, more appealing bikes could be used.

Cllr Page explained: “Bike technology has changed considerably since the introduction of ReadyBike with modern pedal bikes being lighter in weight and easier to for the user to locate, pay, unlock, ride and park and lock.

“Transport officers will continue to review the potential to introduce a new public cycle hire scheme in Reading but, in the absence of public subsidy, any potential operators will have to bear the full cost of start-up capital and  and subsequent revenue operating costs.”

Reading Chronicle: The ReadyBikes which were previously in place in St Mary's Butts. Questions have been raised about what to do with the bike docking stations.The ReadyBikes which were previously in place in St Mary's Butts. Questions have been raised about what to do with the bike docking stations.

Cllr Josh Williams (Green, Park) asked what will happen to the 29 ‘redundant’ bike docking stations, which are in place in Broad Street, the Town Hall Square and elsewhere in the town.

Cllr Page replied: “At the moment we’ve decided not to remove those in case they will be needed should there be a future operator.

“But clearly they can’t remain there forever. There will be one or two that might be removed, but the others will be left in situ, but obviously we will need to take a decision fairly soon on whether they are removed, which would incur some cost.”

The main question was asked by cllr Mitchell on behalf of cllr Jenny Rynn (Conservative, Kentwood), who wasn’t able to attend the meeting.

The question was asked in March, the month of the third anniversary of the bikes being locked up and the seventh anniversary of ReadyBike’s launch.