02/08/2013

Public Bike Hire Scheme Provides Business Opportunity

Belfast City Council is inviting Expressions of Interest for the naming rights and advertising opportunities in relation to its Public Hire Bike Scheme which is set to be launched by the beginning of 2015.

The council is leading the development of the high profile active travel project for Belfast, which puts cycling at the heart of the city as a local transport solution. The aim is to develop a system that is accessible to residents, commuters, visitors and tourists to the city.

The council secured support funding from the Department for Regional Development to develop Phase One of the Public Bike Hire Scheme to cover the main city centre area with up to 30 docking stations and 300 bikes for hire.

There is a demand to expand the scheme beyond the city centre boundary and phased expansion will be considered in conjunction with securing further resources.

The sponsorship contract will allow naming rights to the bike scheme and advertising and branding on the bicycles, website and at bike hire stations. This approach has been successfully adopted in similar schemes across other major cities including Barclays Bikes in London and CITI Bikes in New York.

It is proposed that the income from sponsorship and advertising arrangements will support the running costs of the public bike hire scheme and contribute to any future expansion of the scheme.

Typically, the contracts will last from between three and five years and the deadline to submit an Expression of Interest is the 30 August 2013. Tobacco, alcohol and politically motivated sponsors are excluded from applying.

(CD/MH)

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