LIMERICK’S public bike scheme will now not be up and running until November, the National Transport Agency (NTA) confirmed this week.
A spokesperson for the NTA said that electrical work is ongoing to deliver power to the stations that will be located across the city, and that this must be completed before construction work begins on the collection points.
The scheme, which Minister Alan Kelly last year said would be operational in July 2014, will see 215 bikes available for hire at 23 stations around Limerick.
The NTA is to launch a pre-registration process for the scheme in the coming weeks.
An NTA spokesperson told the Limerick Post: “The scheme is at the stage where we’re finalising the electrification of the stations. That’s currently in progress and it should be finished in the next couple of weeks. Then, we’re going to open a pre-registration process for people who are interested in using the service, so it can hit the ground running.”
When asked about the reasons for the four-month delay, the spokesperson said: “It was announced by Minister Alan Kelly about a year ago, but now coming closer to it, with getting the infrastructure and facilities set up properly, we are looking at November for the launch.”
The scheme will see a total of 740 bikes available for rent at 73 stations in Limerick, Cork and Galway, with 320 bikes in Cork and 205 in Galway.
The spokesperson also revealed that the launch of the three schemes will be “sequenced” and it is not yet known which of the cities will be launched first.
The red and black ‘Coke Zero’ bikes, sponsored by Coca-Cola, will have built-in gear-shifting technology, enabling automatic gear changes.
The charges for the schemes are expected to be similar to the Dublin Bike Scheme, which charges a €10 annual registration fee.
