BUSINESS owners have expressed their disappointment over the withdrawal of the EVie electric bike fleet from the Island.
After suspending its bike rental service at the start of March as a result of problems with insurance, EVie confirmed last week that the operation would cease.
Businesses that are off the beaten track are likely to feel the impact, according to Paul McDermott of the Plémont Beach Café.
“EVie bikes have been a very popular way for people to get to us, particularly in the last two years when the bus service stopped serving the top car park here and just switched to the main road,” he said.
“People would travel quite a long way to get here and because it’s quite hilly the electric bikes made it possible for for people to get down to the café and back up afterwards.
“There’s a lot of traffic here in the summer and the car park gets full at weekends, so to have bikes rather than cars helps – it’s a shame and I’m sure it will be missed.”
Although well-served by buses, Gorey could also be another area affected, according to one café owner.
Rhona Hewit, who runs Rhona’s at the Beach, said: “I think it’s a pity for the sector, especially at this time of year. We didn’t get huge numbers of customers using them, but there’s a move towards electric [modes of transport] so it may have been more popular this year if they were still running.”
EVie bikes have featured in some of the recent promotional activity by Visit Jersey, although one of the businesses to have hosted a photo-shoot wasn’t overly concerned.
Joe Freire, whose stall at Les Charrières Nicolle in St Lawrence sells Jersey fruit, vegetables and flowers, said: “I will be sad to see them go, it was a good idea, but most of our customers are locals.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone come up here on an EVie bike, except when we had the photographer from the tourist board.”
Visit Jersey was unavailable for comment.
