Free Bikes For Children pilot scheme: FOI release

Information requested

Please provide the number of free bikes which have been provided by the Scottish Government to children.

Please provide details of the breakdown of bikes distributed in each local authority to date.

Please provide details of when there will be a Scotland-wide rollout of the policy and the date the Scottish Government claims that all children that are unable to afford a bike will be provided with a free bike.

Please provide details of the costs spent to date.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we don't hold the information are explained below.

The answer to your question is:

1. Please provide the number of free bikes which have been provided by the Scottish Government to children.

The total number of bikes provided to date under the pilot scheme and the Free Bikes Partnership is 6,814.

2. Please provide details of the breakdown of bikes distributed in each local authority to date.

This information is not held as the free bikes pilots projects and Free Bikes Partnership are not required to report this data.

3. Please provide details of when there will be a Scotland-wide rollout of the policy and the date the Scottish Government claims that all children that are unable to afford a bike will be provided with a free bike.

The free bikes pilot programme formally concluded in August 2022. A number of pilot projects continued to operate until March 2023. Since the beginning of financial year 2023-24, we have provided grant funding to Cycling Scotland to take the scheme forward through the Free Bikes Partnership.

Transport Scotland has not made an assessment of when all children unable to afford a bike will receive one.

4. Please provide details of the costs spent to date.

To date a total of £5,267,055 has been spent on the pilot programme and Free Bikes Partnership.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.