Dutch bike brand Swapfiets has announced that it is offering free yse of e-bikes to commuters affected by the upcoming Tube strikes. The RMT union strikes are set to take place between Sunday July 23 and Saturday July 29 and will affect the whole Tube network.
To entice more people onto e-bikes rather than into cars, Swapfiets is offering free bikes between Saturday July 22 and Monday July 31. There are two bike options available: the Deluxe 7 or the Power 1 e-bike.
The Deluxe 7 is a city-oriented unassisted bike, while the Power 1 is also city oriented, but is powered by a Shimano E5000 motor with a 418Wh battery. We covered the bike in greater detail when Swapfiets launched their Power 7 subscription e-bike for London users last year.
Swapfiets already offers a subscription based ownership of these bikes, but for the duration of the Tube strikes they will be waiving the fee (normally £64.90 for one month of using the Power 1). Subscriptions also include a chain lock, a replacement bike if yours is stolen, and on-demand maintenance and repair. (If you want to learn more about subscriptions, read our guide to 4 of the best e-bike subscription services.)
UK Country Manager Katarina Hlavata spoke of how the company wants to make life a bit easier for Londoners over the coming week, and to showcase cycling as a viable commuting option for more people.
“We hope that by encouraging people to change their mode of transport for the period of the strike, many Londoners will consider and appreciate the multiple health and environmental benefits of cycling as a longer-term alternative for their daily commute.”
The free bikes will be offered on a first come first served basis, and customers will be required to pick up their free bike from the Swapfiets store in Spitalfields. If you want to find out more and sign up for the offer, click here.
