Bike Share

The bike share project provides bikes and e-bikes for hire, to improve the range of transport options available to the Solent area’s residents and visitors.

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To request a copy of the full project report that was submitted to the Department for Transport, please email enquiries@solent-transport.com.

The Aim

Bike share is an e-bike rental scheme looking to expand the range of transport options available to the Solent area’s residents and visitors.

The scheme is active in Portsmouth, Southampton, and on the Isle of Wight and offers people an alternative to using their car for short journeys that could otherwise be travelled by bike.

It is replacing short distance private car journeys, helping to reduce congestion and contributing to improved air quality. As a form of active travel, cycling also improves people’s physical and mental health.

E-bikes are available to hire through the Voi app, and were previously available in the Breeze Mobility-as-a-Service app. At the time, this made the Solent scheme the only bike share scheme in the UK that could be accessed through a Mobility-as-a-Service platform.

The rental scheme is particularly looking to solve the first and last mile challenge, by providing people with an onward mode of transport to and from major travel hubs, such as ferry ports, train stations and bus interchanges.

Key Information

  • E-bike rental across the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton is operated by Voi.
  • The scheme was very well received – throughout the FTZ, more than 580,000 trips were taken covering over 1.5 million kms. July 2025 saw the highest ever ridership for e-bikes.
  • The project works closely with local authority partners to agree sites for parking bays and actively engages residents as part of the consultation process.
  • Where the scheme uses parking bays, Solent Transport has been able to achieve end-of-ride parking compliance well above the level achieved by other schemes across the UK.

Research

For all associated research and reports for this project click below.