More parents are opting to do the school run by electric bike rather than car, according to data from the Canberra Electric Bike Library.

The (book-less) library, which has just won a $1,000 grant from Australia Post’s annual People of Post Grants, is operated by SEE Change and Switched on Cycles and supported by the ACT Government. 

It has a modest fleet of 18 electric bikes available for a two-week loan and has 100 people on the waiting list at any one time. So far this year, the library has provided 110 loans.

Project officer Gabrielle Meiklejohn says the library started three years ago and has been steadily growing.

“It is an immensely popular program and one of our main demographics are people who’ve had kids and are looking to be a bit more environmentally friendly on their school run, trying to avoid buying a second car and make their travel more sustainable,” Gabrielle says.

“We do two-week low-cost loans to anyone who’s interested in having a more extended time to see how it fits in with their life. This gives people enough time to do the school run, go to the shops and do things they would do normally in their day-to-day lives.”

The recent $1,000 grant has allowed the library to add on a few extra accessories to its fleet, including kids’ seats and safety mirrors.

“We’re getting a lot more demand for them,” Gabrielle says. “It fits up to two kids and is secure for age one up to six years. The aim is to take people away from driving and get them on bikes.”

The Canberra Electric Bike Library is one of six ACT recipients of the Australia Post grants. Other recipients include: Kulture Break, Woden Valley RSL, St Johns Care, MyHome Canberra and Belconnen Netball Association.

More information: seechange.org.au/cbrebikelibrary