BikeBiz reports that a dock-based bikeshare, including an ebike component, is planned for the Greater Manchester area in spring 2021, including Machester, Salford and Trafford. There will be 1500 bikes in the first phase. The tender for a provider/operator has just been published.
The city had a brief, ill-fated commercially funded Mobike dockless system, the operator soon giving up due to high levels of vandalism (the bikes themselves were also very poor). The Mobike system was also marred by frequent operating zone changes. and a lack of transparency and openness as to where the bikes were available, how they were being used and their impact (positive or negative) on the public realm.
The first phase of the system is being funded to the tune of approximately £10 million, coming from Greater Manchester Combined Authority funds. That works out at ~£6,600 per bike – similar to the ~£8,000 figures sometimes quoted for the Santander Cycles in London.
Hopefully the capital investment in a “proper” dock-based system will result in a successful operation, without the problems seen previously.