CARDIFF and Penarth’s popular bike share scheme, operated by nextbike, is getting ready for a fresh new look this summer.

To allow the refresh to take place, nextbike will be temporarily suspending the fleet’s service for two weeks from Tuesday, July 20, when bikes will be removed from the streets.

 The bikes will be revamped before being put back out on the streets on Tuesday August 3. They will soon be joined by a fleet of 50 Cardiff e-bikes and stations, which will be launched later on in August.

Nextbike has reassured customers who pay for monthly or annual subscriptions that their memberships will be paused while the service is disrupted.

And to celebrate the return of the full fleet on August 3, nextbike will be offering free rides on its standard bikes to all customers for the whole week, from August 3 to August 9.

Customers will be able to automatically access this offer, with no special codes needed - they will just need an active account to take advantage.

Nextbike MD, Krysia Solheim, said: “We know many people rely on our fleet of nextbikes to get around Cardiff and the Vale, and we’d like to apologise in advance for the inconvenience that this short temporary suspension in service will cause.

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“From the rental patterns we’ve seen over the last few months, we know most people have been using the bikes for leisure rides later on in the day, rather than using them for traditional commuter journeys.

"We’re expecting this to change in the coming months as more people return to their place of work, instead of working from home.

"That’s why we’ve planned the refresh now, before people begin their return to commuting back to work or school.

“We’d like to reassure customers that the disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum.

“We’re advising customers to plan ahead to find an alternative way to travel around the city during the two-week period.

“To say thanks to our customers for their continued support and patience, we'll be giving away unlimited 30 minute rides on our standard bikes between August 3 - August 9 so everyone can try out one of the refreshed bikes for free.”

Krysia also revealed that e-bikes would soon be available to rent on the streets of Cardiff.

“August will see the introduction of Cardiff’s highly-anticipated e-bikes, with five stations initially being launched.

“This means you will be able to travel between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan with an added electric boost, which is fantastic news for both areas.”

Customers who have any questions should contact customer service at info@nextbike.com or on 0292 248 1736. For more information, visit www.nextbike.co.uk.