Demand for electric bike (e-bike) rentals has skyrocketed as people look to keep fit during the COVID-19 lockdown as more people find employment as food delivery drivers during the COVID-19 crisis.
For example Ezy Rider Bikes, based in Bondi, offers rental plans starting from $85 per week for e-bikes that are designed for food delivery drivers working with UberEats, Deliveroo, and Doordash. Sean Egan, the owner of Ezy Rider Bikes, told ChannelNews that demand for their e-bikes is up around 25-30% compared to pre-COVID-19 levels, and that a month ago it was up about 50%.
“Initially, when COVID-19 first hit, we had more people returning bikes as a lot of international students left to go back home,” Egan said. “Now, it’s mainly travellers and international students who have lost their hospitality work and have decided to stick it out in Australia, and other people who have lost their jobs.”
Bolt Bikes, based in Alexandria, Sydney, told the Sydney Morning Herald that its e-bike rentals rose 60% from March to April.
Given the significantly lower price, many riders are opting to rent e-bikes rather than buy them, given that the product usually costs around $2000.
Last April Cynett launched the $1999 ‘Life Cycle’ e-bike, which delivers 250W of power and is capable of 25km per hour. Although there may be some Life Cycle stock around, Cygnett told ChannelNews that they will not be producing more of the bike due to low demand.
Other e-bikes on the market include Xiaomi’s QiCycle folding e-bike ($1,399.00) and the ($1,199.99) Fortis 700C Hybrid Commuter Electric Mountain Bike.
