200 Wheels = 100 Smiles As BYKKO Wheels into Newcastle!

Next time you need to get from one end of town to the other, jump on board Newcastle’s newest inner-city transport mode a BYKKO On Demand Electric Bike!

The innovative initiative was launched by 100 members of the community last month, who all jumped on board the 100 electric bikes and delivered them to the 19 docking stations spread across inner City Newcastle. Some of the locations include The Junction, Bar Beach, Wheeler Place, Newcastle Interchange, NewSpace, the Foreshore, Customs House, Newcastle Library, Darby Street and Kuwami.

The launch is part of the Transport for NSW’s On Demand Public Transport trial and is operated by BYKKO. The Newcastle electric bike share project is designed to make it easier to move around the city and is another step towards the introduction of a multi-modal transport system for Newcastle.

BYKKO’s Managing Director, Monica Zarafu said the launch marked the fruition of years of hard work and planning.

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“Electric bike sharing schemes have had an enormous positive impact throughout Europe, and we hope that the people of Newcastle are going to jump on board and love using the bikes in the same way. It’s definitely a convenient and healthy way of getting around, and the bikes are available for anyone over the age of 18 to use anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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“We’re very grateful for the support we have been given from Transport for NSW as the funding partner for this project, and Newcastle City Council, Sydney Trains, Hunter Development Corporation, University of Newcastle and McCloy Group for the assistance they have provided with the infrastructure of the 19 docking stations,” Ms Zarafu said.

Locals and visitors needing to cross town for work, shopping, or simply to explore the city can get from one location to the other by locating their nearest docking station, hiring a bike using their Smartphone or tapping their membership card and using the electric bike to ride to their next location.

Unlike other free-floating bike share schemes, BYKKO’s bikes must be returned to a docking station where the bike will be safely docked, and the battery recharged for the next user.

Monthly memberships are available for frequent riders, which give unlimited access to the bikes providing they return it to a docking station within one hour. Once they’ve docked and recharged for ten minutes, they’re free to continue on their journey.

BYKKO’s E-bikes are the Hunter region’s second On Demand service, with Newcastle Transport implementing an On Demand bus service in Eastern Lake Macquarie in January 2018.

For more information, docking station locations and bike availability, or to download the application, visit app.bykko.com.au