Leeds 'Velocampus' scheme gets more bikes

A university Velocampus scheme will double its cycle fleet to 350 bikes just a year on from becoming the first scheme of its kind in the UK. Leeds University’s Velocampus loan scheme provides low-cost bike hire for University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University students for the year or part year.

The first large scale university bike loan scheme launched in September last year.
Cycling to the university is one of the easiest ways for students to get there and many students in Leeds live within four miles of the campuses, which is an ideal distance for getting on their bike.

Available from September onwards each year, all bikes are ready to ride, and come complete with lights, mudguards, rack, lock, and servicing. The 21-speed hybrid bikes are security stamped and coded.

The low-cost loan scheme is part of UTravelActive, a Lottery funded £1m project led by sustainable transport charity Sustrans with additional funding from the two universities, NHS Leeds and Leeds City Council.

Velocampus Leeds also run regular self-help maintenance workshops on campus, where staff and students can use tools, lubricants, cleaning materials and guidance on how to maintain their own bikes.

The scheme is based on the successful Velocampus which first started in Nantes, France in 1997, where students got together to provide bikes for their fellow students for less than the cost of a monthly bus ticket.