Nextbike, the bike sharing and hiring service phenomenon, is set to become even more accessible in Wales’ capital city. As of May 1st, customer can now spread the cost of their annual membership over 12 months, rather than paying one upfront fee. This equates to 12 monthly instalments of £5, totalling £60 for the year.

Although this is the same total cost as the existing fee, the new annual membership structure is designed to make paying for the scheme more practical and affordable. There will also be a new monthly membership cost of £10 for those who do not want to commit to the annual scheme.

For those who have already purchased their annual membership with an upfront fee, this can still be used up until the expiry date (one year from purchase).

The scheme already has 215,000 customers across the UK and is expected to grow in the coming years. It is hoped that this fee change will help encourage customers, whatever their economic background,  to use Nextbike services.

Nextbike UK managing director, Krysia Solheim, said that the goal is to use the updated structure to offer sustainable travel to new audiences:

"We know, from listening to customer feedback, that an upfront £60 annual membership fee is prohibitive for some people. Our ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life in our regions by transforming the way people move throughout them – regardless of economic circumstances. To achieve our goal, we must take into account users’ financial situations and cater to as many people as possible.”

Nextbikes are available for hire 24 hours a day and can be accessed at various points in and around Cardiff; this includes the Nextbike hire stations and locations where the bikes have been left by previous users (available to view on the Nextbike website and app).

This follows recent news that some Cardiff doctors could prescribe 6 months of free bike hire services to patients who need to increase their physical activity. These patients will be given a code, which will allow them to access 30 minutes of free bike hire a day.

Information Source: Rachel Jones via Business News Wales