Public bike hire scheme planned for Tullamore

A council-operated bike hire scheme could be up and running by October in Tullamore, it has emerged.

A minimum of 30 bikes are to be made available for hire across at least six locations in the town.

The bikes will be for hire at a cost of €1 per hour and the bike hire scheme is to be operated via an app-based system.

The app will be free to install on mobile devices and allow users to quickly sign up to hire a bicycle. The app will control the locking and unlocking of the bicycle fleet and to facilitate payment using all major credit/debit cards.

The scheme will be for an initial trial period of six months, and is earmarked to commence on October 1.

The council said the option to make the project permanent will be considered after the six-month trial.

Offaly County Council is now seeking tenders from potential operators to roll out and operate the scheme.

It's likely that the parking and hiring bays for the bikes will be sited in key areas of the town, including transport hubs, schools and tourist attractions and business and industrial locations.

It's expected that Offaly County Council will receive revenue for the bike hires from the company, who, in turn, will be paid a monthly fee by the local authority.

Similar schemes have recently been established in both Athlone and Mullingar, with Westmeath County Council stating that the initial take up has been higher than anticipated.

Those schemes are aimed more on individual short journey hires rather than family or group leisure activities.