SHARED electric bikes will remain on the streets of Newcastle for at least another two years, the state government has confirmed.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Catherine Cusack on Thursday declared the Bykko system that has been on trial around the inner city will roll on.
"We're excited to announce the Bykko e-bike program will continue to operate in and around the Newcastle CBD following a two year pilot which saw over 8000 people register for the bikes and take more than 27,000 trips," Ms Cusack said.
"The Bykko e-bikes are benefitting the community by providing different transport options for locals who previously relied on their cars to get to work or around the CBD. In fact, customer surveys taken during the trial found that more than 6000 car trips were replaced by Bykko bikes."
Ms Cusack said the last weeks of the trial had recorded three times as many new users registered with a Hunter address than at the same period last year.
The Newcastle Heraldreported earlier this month that Transport for NSW patronage data showed 1145 trips were completed in January before usage dropped 34 per cent to 747 trips in February.
Bykko managing director Monica Zarafu said lessons from the pilot would help hone the system.
The pilot program had more than 100 e-bikes across 19 docking stations in Newcastle's CBD, Honeysuckle, Newcastle West, Wickham, The Junction and Bar Beach.
The bikes can be hired at a pay-as-you-go price of $2 for every 10 minutes of use or for $10 per day. A monthly membership fee of $40 is also available and allows unlimited use at up to 60 minutes per ride.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the system created a sustainable transport option for residents.
"The Bykko e-bikes provide locals and tourists more ways of seeing our glorious city, while keeping everyone moving by reducing congestion on our roads," Cr Nelmes said.
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