The Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, was this week joined by Gerry Murphy, CEO of the National Transport Authority, Frank O’Donnell, general manager of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Hector Ó hEochagáin, TV and radio personality, at Eyre Square to officially launch the Coca-Cola Zero Bikes in the city.
The Galway launch is one of three taking place around the country, with schemes due to be launched in Limerick on December 8 and in Cork on December 18.
When the scheme is fully complete there will be 19 stations and 195 bikes located throughout Galway city. The scheme is set to benefit tourists, commuters, and leisure bike users.
The National Transport Authority and Coca-Cola are calling on the people of Galway to sign up for Coca-Cola Bikes at www.bikeshare.ie to receive an annual subscription for €5. This special offer extends to the end of 2014. Bike users registering for an annual subscription will receive a Welcome Pack in the post containing details of how to use the scheme and a subscription card.
“The public bikes concept has proved extremely popular over the past five years in Dublin and we are delighted to commence the national rollout of the scheme – starting here in Galway today,” Gerry Murphy, CEO of the National Transport Authority, said at the launch on Monday. “We’ll be in Limerick and Cork in the next few weeks, making Ireland one of very few countries with such a spread of city bike schemes. From Eyre Square, to Spanish Arch and Galway Cathedral, we’ve located the Coca-Cola Zero bike stations conveniently throughout the city to ensure the best possible experience for tourists, commuters, and leisure users alike. We are grateful to the local authorities for all their assistance and support in the development of the infrastructure on the ground.”
In May of this year the Rothar Nua consortium was awarded the contract for the provision of public bike schemes in the cities of Cork, Galway, and Limerick by the National Transport Authority, with capital funding of the schemes being provided by the Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport.
Coca-Cola’s partnership for the regional schemes made the roll out possible with an almost €3m investment over the next five years.
“Coca-Cola dublinbikes has become one of the most successful public bike schemes in the world with more than eight million bike journeys to date, and a record high of 15,441 journeys in just one day recently,” revealed Frank O’Donnell, general manager of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland. “It is clear that the ease of accessibility of the bikes is facilitating and encouraging activity among the general public – something that Coca-Cola is committed to helping make happen.
“We are delighted that starting today in Galway, people in other cities in Ireland will have the opportunity to participate in a public share bike scheme. Based on the experience in Dublin we know that the bikes will help users incorporate exercise into their daily lives.”
To register for an annual subscription to Coca-Cola Zero Bikes visit www.bikeshare.ie For customer care, dial 0818 44 44 77. This can be used for customers seeking assistance or further information on the scheme. Additionally, there are iPhone and Android apps available on the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play.
