Sizewell C-funded Leiston bike hire scheme passes 5,000 miles in first year

Riders using the Sizewell C-funded Pedal to Zero community bike hire scheme in Leiston have covered more than 5,000 miles since it launched in September 2025, Sizewell C said on 13 October.

The bikes have travelled an estimated 5,427 miles, according to Sizewell C, of which 3,015 miles were recorded on e-bikes. The standard bikes have no odometers, so their mileage has been estimated from usage data. Sizewell C said the total was equivalent to cycling from Leiston to South Korea.

The scheme was launched by Net Zero Leiston and is delivered with Active Cycling Projects. It runs for three years and now has a fleet of 22 standard and electric bikes.

Jack Raven, Senior Regional, Sustainability Project Manager at Sizewell C, said: "Having the scheme running for a year has shown us how people like to use the bikes, which informs future expansion, something we hope we're able to deliver soon."

Raven also thanked the landowners hosting the hubs, naming East of England Co-op, Leiston Town Council, East Suffolk Council, Persimmon Homes and Beach View Holiday Park.

How the scheme has grown

When the scheme launched in September 2025, Sizewell C said it had 18 bikes, nine of them electric, at five locations around Leiston. The latest release puts the fleet at 22 bikes but does not give a current split between electric and standard models.

In August, a new bike rack and four extra bikes were added at Aldhurst View, the Persimmon Homes development in the town. Hubs now include the Waterloo Centre, Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council, East of England Co-op, Leiston Community Centre and Leiston Leisure Centre.

Stuart McAdam, Director of Planning for Persimmon Homes Suffolk, said the rack was "giving residents of the new development, and the surrounding area, the chance to benefit from this sustainable transport option."

Cllr Katie Graham, who represents Aldeburgh and Leiston at East Suffolk Council, said the new racks at Aldhurst View made it easier for people to join the scheme.

East Suffolk Council approved Persimmon's application for 97 homes on a former brickworks site at Aldhurst View on 14 March 2025, with 32 of the homes to be transferred to a housing association partner, according to Persimmon. The housebuilder also said it would put £30,000 into improvements to the cycle scheme on the B1122 through developer contributions.

Hire charges

Users unlock bikes with the free App-Bike app, which shows availability, and can return them to any hub. Sizewell C's latest release and Net Zero Leiston's own hire page both give rates of £2 for one hour or £5 for eight hours. Sizewell C's launch release in September 2025 had given rates of £2 for 30 minutes or £5 for six hours.

Net Zero Leiston also lists a £10 monthly option that makes the first 30 minutes of each rental free. Both organisations say all money the scheme generates is reinvested to extend it in Leiston and the surrounding area.

Active Cycling Projects manages the scheme and Woodbridge-based Virtue Electric Bikes maintains the fleet.

Wider Net Zero Leiston programme

Net Zero Leiston is a community-led programme set up in 2020 to cut the town's carbon footprint. It says it aims to provide a replicable model for other places starting their net zero journey.

Its other initiatives include the Leiston Energy Advice Hub, run with Citizens Advice East Suffolk, and A Net Zero Pathway for Leiston-cum-Sizewell, a carbon assessment produced by the Opergy Net Zero team covering land, agriculture, transport and the built environment.

Sizewell C awarded £24k through Net Zero Leiston to Citizens Advice East Suffolk in February 2025 to extend the Energy Advice Hub into Leiston for at least two years. The hub had first launched across East Suffolk in November 2024, and Citizens Advice East Suffolk had earlier secured £170,000 from the Sizewell C Community Fund to recruit, train and coordinate volunteers.

Alongside the hire scheme, Sizewell C said at launch that it was funding Bikeability cycle training for Year 6 pupils across 12 primary schools.

Sizewell C said the first year's usage data would inform a further expansion of the hire network, which it hopes to deliver soon.