2026 has kicked off with great news from the Highlands: users of Inverness and Fort William’s Hi-Bike electric bike hire scheme have covered some 71,175 miles in 2025. That’s the equivalent of going around the world three times, without having to deal with pesky things like oceans, deserts, and Russian border guards.
According to stats from The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (Hitrans), Hi-Bike riders made a total of 33,838 trips, with journeys ranging from short hops to connect to other forms of transport, to longer sight-seeing rides.
Inverness Railway Station, Fort William Travel Centre and the village of Caol were the most popular locations to travel to and from, and the months of August and September had the highest number of overall trips.
“The popularity of both Inverness and Fort William railway stations as pick-up and drop-off destinations for Hi-Bike highlights the important role bicycles play in helping the travelling public reach their onward destinations,” said Vikki Trelfer, active travel team leader with Hitrans, the wider sustainable transport programme for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
While these numbers may seem small-fry compared to London’s 2.8 million Santander e-bike hires across three years, it’s still extremely impressive given the small-scale nature of the Hi-Bike scheme, which has a modest fleet of 70 to 90 hire bikes available. For a little more context, Worcester’s Beryl hire scheme covered 78,000 miles in its first full year, but that has 200 bikes and over double the population.
Scotland certainly seems to be progressing micromobility ahead of the rest of the UK. The country invested £188 million in active travel in 2025 – considerably less than the £320 million it initially promised to spend, but, at £34 per head, still more than the paltry £11 per English person.
It’s also proof that e-bike hire can work outside large and well-connected cities. Unlike standalone systems, Hi-Bike has strategically placed docks, some of which charge the e-bikes, reducing pavement clutter. Hi-Bike also has numerous payment options, from £3 for 30 minutes, to a £15 monthly membership for daily 45-minute rides, and a £10 Explorer Pass for a three-hour ride to locations such as Glen Nevis.
The Hi-Bikes scheme is set to expand to the east into the town of Elgin, where the distinctive chunky white-and-grey bikes will dock at the railway station and High Street. And, at the time of writing, users have covered 67 miles in 2026.
