Council urged to put wheels in motion for Navan bike scheme

Meath County Council has been urged to introduce a new bike rental scheme in Navan, four months after the withdrawal of a previous scheme.

The Tier Nextbike scheme which was launched in Navan in August 2023 proved extremely popular, until Tier, the company behind the scheme pulled out of Ireland.

The scheme had seen 25 push bikes, 25 electric bicycles and electric cargo bikes at various locations around the town, which were available for hire through an app.

Meath Cycling Initiative chairman, Ed Moynihan urged the council to look for a new provider.

“The bike scheme was hugely popular, it only ended because the company were pulling out of Ireland. It had been very successful and there are other companies put there providing a similar service.

“A lot of the infrastructure is still there like the bike parking spaces. It would be great to see anew scheme especially coming into the good weather which encourages people to use them.”

The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Eddie Fennessy said he was really disappointed when the bike rental scheme was withdrawn from Navan last year.

“It was hugely successful and it provided a great alternative for people to use when moving around the town.

“I would love to see a return of the Bike Rental scheme. I’d also like to see similar modes of transport in any future scheme. Navan has decent cycle infrastructure in place and newer schemes at various stages of planning and delivery. A rental scheme would definitely increase usage of that infrastructure. Particularly if the scheme was broadened to include scooters which are quite popular now. “I encourage the council to do what they can to make this happen.”

Tier removed all of their distinctive green bikes from the town last December and the news was greeted with shock and dismay by the many users of the scheme and public representatives.

The scheme had proved extremely popular and at the September 2024 meeting of Navan Municipal Council, members heard “it is a highly successful scheme with very high usage and the council intends extending it.”

Over 6,000 journeys were made using the Navan shared bike scheme in its first four months of operation and those journeys covered approximately 28,000km. Additionally, roughly 2,000 residents signed up to the cycle service.

The initiative was introduced on 1st August 2023 aimed to promote physical well-being with 25 push bikes and 25 electric bikes available for daily hire through an app.

The idea was relatively simple, you downloaded the app and inserted your details including your payment details. Then, you simply selected a vacant bike on the app's map, scanned the QR code displayed on the bike or entered the bike number on the app and away you went.