Surge in demand for e-bikes as petrol prices continue to rise across the district

More people are ditching their cars in favour of electric bikes as petrol prices continue to soar, according to Harrogate district retailers.

As the average cost of diesel has almost hit the £2 per litre mark, people are increasingly looking at more wallet-friendly ways to get around.

Local e-bike suppliers say there has been a notable shift in the number of customers now moving to pedal and e-power, opting to save their fuel for longer journeys.

Kurt Davison, manager of the Electric Bike Shop, on Leeds Road, Harrogate, said:

“We have definitely noticed a rise in sales. This isn’t surprising given that you are looking at £2 a litre for fuel and you also have to factor in road tax and insurance.”

Mr Davison said 65 per cent of journeys made in the UK were less than five miles, so more people were choosing e-bikes for shorter commutes.

He said:

“We hear it a lot from people. The cost of fuel is too high. So they want to use an e-bike to get to work rather than running a car.

“We also recently sold a cargo bike to a family who are using it for the school run.”

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Andy Crawley, who has owned Harrogate Electric Bikes – CorCoach, on St John’s Terrace, Harrogate, for 10 years, said he had noticed a rise in the number of returning customers wanting to get back on their bikes.

Andy Crawley, owner of  Harrogate Electric Bikes – CorCoach.

He said:

“They are using their bikes more and I have seen an upturn in servicing existing bikes. They are coming back and saying they haven’t used it for a while and they want to use it more due to the cost of petrol. It hurts when you fill your tank up now!

“I do a lot of conversions where I convert bikes to electric bikes. I have definitely seen a surge in this, as then customers are not having to pay thousands of pounds for a brand new model. The cost of living crisis means many people can’t afford a brand new e-bike.”

He added that many people were still too nervous to cycle on the district’s roads and while improvements have been made, there needed to be a better infrastructure in place.

Tony Robertshaw has owned North Yorkshire Electric Bikes, in Bond End, Knaresborough, for a decade.

He said while his customer-base had always traditionally fallen into an older age bracket due to having more disposable income, he had noticed an increase in younger customers buying e-bikes.

He said:

“People are wanting bikes to commute on, rather than using their cars. Customers do say that petrol prices are too much.

“There are also a lot of benefits to investing in an e-bike. There are the health benefits and the cost benefits.

“Most of my bikes last a good 10 years, so if you work the cost out per year, it is relatively cheap. You would get through £300 of petrol in no time.

“You also don’t have to pay insurance or road tax. So it’s definitely cheaper than running a car.”

 

Councillors back calls for 5% increase in Harrogate district taxi fares

Councillors have backed calls for a 5% increase in taxi fares to help cover soaring fuel prices and a drop in earnings for drivers during the covid pandemic.

The rise request was made to Harrogate Borough Council whose cabinet member for housing and safer communities, Cllr Mike Chambers, will now make a final decision whether prices should go up.

If approved, the increase would make the Harrogate district the 14th most expensive council area in the UK for taxi fares, according to national trade newspaper Private Hire and Taxi Monthly.

However, local taxi drivers have argued the district’s position is not as high for journeys above two miles.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s licensing committee on Wednesday, Cllr John Mann, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Pannal, said he appreciated that prices may be higher than some areas but taxi drivers needed support.

He said: 

“We seem to be in the middle of a cost of living crisis at the moment and we are all aware prices are going up rapidly.

“If you are a taxi driver all of this is not good because it eats into your profit. I do have sympathy with the trade.”

Cllr Sue Lumby, a Conservative who represents Harrogate Coppice Valley, added: 

“If the trade is not profitable, no one is going to do it.

“It may help the public to have the rise if it means we keep the taxi drivers.”

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The 5% rise would be on the running mile and waiting times of journeys, and there would also be an increase in starting prices from £3.40 to £3.60 if approved.

The request comes after warnings that as many as 50 taxi drivers in the Harrogate district quit during the previous lockdowns and many have now found new jobs with little desire to return to the trade.

Last year also saw record costs for both petrol and diesel in the UK, with diesel hitting prices of over £1.50 per litre for the first time in history.

Driver shortages

During a consultation held in September, drivers said the trade had been “badly affected” by rising costs, not just on fuel but also vehicle prices and parts.

One driver told the council:

“Needless to say we are trading in difficult circumstances due to increasing costs, driver shortages and backlogs at DVLA and other agencies which is hindering the testing of new drivers.

“Although fuel prices seem to be rising on a daily basis one has to accept this trend cannot continue indefinitely.”

The consultation was held with 500 taxi drivers, although only 30 responses were received.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, Gareth Bentley, licensing manager at the council, said this was a “fairly normal” response rate for consultations held with the trade.

He added: 

“Clearly the trade is finding running vehicles considerably more expensive now.

“We do start from quite a high point in terms of our fares at the moment – and we have got to balance the needs of the travelling public with the trade’s ability to make a reasonable living.”