Popular bike-sharing scheme extended to three more Fingal towns

Fingal County Council has extended its popular bike-sharing scheme, which allows cyclists use bikes that are publicly available, to Swords, Malahide and Howth.   

The scheme allows cyclists to use ‘smart’ bikes with inbuilt GPS technology. By downloading the BleeperBike App, users can register and find their nearest BleeperBike, scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it and it is ready for use. This removes the need to develop and construct expensive and often inconvenient docking stations associated with traditional bike share schemes. Once cyclists arrive at their destination, they can park at any cycle parking stand near their destination and lock it manually.

The ‘smart’ bikes allow the tracking of bike trips around the location using the inbuilt GPS technology on each bike. These GPS enabled bikes are located at designated bike racks and are available for use in seconds and can be activated from a mobile phone.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Anthony Lavin said: “I am delighted to launch the extension of this initiative following its pilot in Blanchardstown over the past year. As my year of Mayor of Fingal comes to end, I am thrilled to see this initiative rolled out in three more Fingal areas and I am sure that the local residents in Malahide, Howth and Swords, as well as visitors to the county, will ensure that the initiative is a big hit.”

Cllr Eoghan O’Brien, chairperson of the Transportation Strategic Policy Committee, said: “The extension of the scheme is great news for the residents of Malahide, Howth and Swords and will undoubtedly prove popular. One of the aims of the SPC has been to develop and implement sustainable transportation initiatives and the bike-sharing scheme is an important part of that commitment.”

At the roll-out of the extended bike sharing scheme on Monday, David Storey, Director of Operations said: “Fingal County Council is delighted to extend the scheme to three more areas in Fingal. Since we launched it in Blanchardstown last year, it has proved very successful and popular, and we are confident that it will attract a similar positive reaction in Swords, Malahide and Howth.”

He added: “We are looking forward to continuing our work with the operators BleeperBike to ensure the continued success of the scheme. Fingal County Council is committed to implementing sustainable schemes that provides for safe cycling across Fingal.”

For further information on how the scheme operates, visit www.bleeperbike.com.