Limerick’s Bikeshare.ie docking stations partly opened this morning with 7 of the 23 stations yet to be opened.
When fully up and running there will be 215 bikes in the city’s network.
The bikes are partly funded by Coca-Cola, but mainly by the tax payer.
Subscribers also contribute — paying €10 per year per city, although it’s only €5 for the first year if you sign up on Bikeshare.ie by the end of December. Three-day passes will be €3 per city.
First ½ hour | No Charge |
Up to 1 hour | €0.50 |
Up to 2 hours | €1.50 |
Up to 3 hours | €3.50 |
Up to 4 hours | €6.50 |
Every extra ½ hour | €2.00 |
At the launch today, minister for education and skills Jan O’Sullivan said: “I’m delighted to officially launch the Coca-Cola Zero bikes in Limerick today and would like to congratulate everyone involved in the project. Limerick City is one of three centres in Ireland that is to become Ireland’s First Smarter Travel Demonstration Areas. Great progress has been made in this respect and the roll-out of the Coca-Cola Zero Bikes today provides another smarter travel option for the people of Limerick.”
She added: “It’s great to see the fantastic and accessible network of bike stations, covering everywhere from O’Connell Avenue to King John’s Castle. This spread will benefit our city’s visitors as they enjoy the sights of Ireland’s first City of Culture; commuters as they travel between meetings or to their bus stop; and leisure bike users as they enjoy a weekend cycle or a shopping trip around the city.”
“The roll-out of the Coca-Cola Zero Bike scheme will make cycling more convenient and accessible in the city and in turn I hope it will increase the uptake and enjoyment of cycling. I want to urge everyone to get out of their cars and onto bikes as we move into 2015.”
Cllr Maria Byrne, deputy mayor of Limerick said: “The roll out of the Coca-Cola Zero Bikes promotes a form of public transport that is healthy, inexpensive, and is central to delivering on the objective of establishing Limerick as a successful Smarter Travel Demonstration City.”
Byrne said: “Limerick City and County Council, through Limerick Smarter Travel, has been very active during the last couple of years in terms of getting people to consider alternative, more sustainable travel methods and I think this public bike scheme also makes the city centre a more attractive and comfortable location to visit ensuring an improved quality of life in the city’s natural and built environment.”
Hugh Creegan, deputy CEO of the National Transport Authority said: “We are delighted to be in Limerick this morning, launching this exciting and dynamic bike scheme in the city. The public bikes scheme has proved extremely popular over the past 5 years in Dublin and over the past fortnight in Galway, and we are confident that people living in, working in and visiting Limerick will really enjoy this new option that is now available to them for getting around the city.”
He added: “From Mary Immaculate College to King John’s Castle, from O’Callaghan Strand to Newtown Mahon, we’ve located the Coca-Cola Zero bike stations conveniently throughout the city to ensure the best possible experience for tourists, commuters and leisure users alike. We are grateful to the local authorities for all their assistance and support in the development of the infrastructure on the ground.”