Supporting Active Travel on Arran

At Arran Eco Savvy, we believe that active travel (walking, wheeling, and cycling) is key to creating a healthier, more sustainable island. It helps reduce carbon emissions, saves money, and improves wellbeing.

As we head into summer, we want to share an important update on our bike projects, including what’s changing and what’s coming next.

Why We’re Pausing Bike Loans Over Summer

Due to current funding gaps, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to temporarily pause issuing new bikes through our loan schemes.

However, this is not a step back. Instead, it’s an opportunity to focus on building a stronger, more sustainable bike fleet for the Arran community.

Over the summer months, we’ll be:

• Refurbishing and repairing bikes
• Expanding our fleet, including wee bikes for children
• Improving how people access and request bikes

As a result, no new bike loans will be issued until September.

E-Bike Loans: Current Status

Our e-bike loan scheme is currently at full capacity.

While loans are paused, you can still:

• Join the waitlist
• Register your interest for future availability

We are also taking this time to update and improve our registration system, making it more user-friendly and up to date.

Refurbished Bike Library: Relaunching in September

We’re excited to share that our Refurbished Bike Library will relaunch in September.

This improved service will include:

• An online catalogue of available bikes
• A simple request and booking system
• Collection through local pop-up events

In the meantime, you can still register your interest by emailing sofi@arranecosavvy.org.uk.

This work will help ensure bikes are matched to the right people and used as much as possible across the island.

Bike Maintenance Drop-In Sessions

Although loans are paused, our bike maintenance drop-in sessions will continue throughout the summer.

These sessions are open to everyone and are a great way to:

• Keep your bike safe and roadworthy
• Learn basic maintenance skills
• Get support from our team

Location: Ormidale Pavilion, Brodick
Time: 11am to 3pm (third Tuesday of the month)
Zero Waste Cafe: 12pm to 2pm

Upcoming Dates:

• 19th May
• 16th June
• 21st July
• 18th August

Looking Ahead: A Stronger Active Travel Offer

While this temporary pause may be disappointing, it allows us to build a more resilient and accessible active travel service for Arran.

From September, we aim to return with:

• More bikes available across the island
• A clearer and fairer booking system
• More opportunities for people to get cycling

Get in Touch

If you have any questions about our active travel projects, we’d love to hear from you.

Email: sofi@arranecosavvy.org.uk