A BIKE share scheme is to get an £80,000 investment to keep its fleet in good condition.

The money will be spent on fully refurbishing Brighton and Hove Bikeshare’s broken bikes and partially refurbishing others.

Brighton and Hove City Council said the money has come from its share of the surplus generated by the scheme.

The Argus: The scheme is getting an investment of £80,000The scheme is getting an investment of £80,000

Any funds remaining from the refurbishment will be invested in recognising the scheme next year.

Councillor Steve Davis, co-chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee said: “It’s so important we continue to invest in our very popular BTN BikeShare scheme.

“Whilst I’m looking forward to seeing what the reorganisation of the scheme will bring, including new electric bikes that will hopefully make the scheme even more accessible, we have to ensure that the current fleet maintains a high standard and that bikes are safe and easy for people to use.

“BTN BikeShare is a real community asset, and by ringfencing surplus for reinvestment back into the scheme, we can ensure BTN BikeShare continues to be something the city can be proud of and will help in our quest for a carbon neutral city by 2030."

The fleet of bikes needs repairs including replacing controllers, stripping down, respraying and repairing chips and paintwork.

Some also require new seats and wheels.

The BikeShare operator Hourbike will be bringing in additional staff to support the work.

Refurbishments will be carried out on bikes as and when they’re brought in for servicing. The number of bikes available for hire will not be impacted.

The investment will come ahead of a planned reorganisation of the scheme will also see the introduction of electric bikes in 2023.

The scheme, which is now in its fifth year, has carried passengers almost 3.5 million miles.

It was launched in September 2017 thanks to start-up funding of £1.16 million of government money from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and £290,000 of council money.

It began with 450 bikes at 50 hubs and has since expanded its fleet to 570 at more than 70 hubs.

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