Student cycle hire schemes are stepping up a gear on campuses across the UK, ahead of the new academic year.

Following in the footsteps of the Boris and Barclays’ scheme that was launched earlier this summer in London, fleets of bicycles have appeared on university campuses up and down the country, ready for hire. Schemes across York and Leeds are already well-established, where bicycles are available to rent for 9 month periods. And popularity continues to grow, within the next month the scheme will be rolled out across Nottingham, Lincoln and Lancaster.

Matt Easter, regional manager of Sustrans, the charity behind the schemes in Nottingham and Lincoln projects, is confident it’ll be a success due to previous schemes. A lot of motorists and commuters have expressed concerns that with more cyclists on roads, particularly in areas where there isn’t a cycle lane infrastructure, there will potentially be more accidents. So in addition to the bike hire, they’re also going to be offering free cycle training to those who are renting them as well as free maintenance for the duration of rental.

Not only is this good news for those students who can not readily afford their own means of transport to and from lectures but it’s also good news for the environment too.

Mobile-phone operated “green bike” scheme WhipBikes, is one of the major players in this movement, offering eco-friendly and affordable travel in Newcastle, set to be launched in September. Costs are kept minimal and it’s very simple to use, using SMS to retrieve a lock-code to access the bicycle.  This is the brain-child of two former civil engineering students, Robert Grisdale and Jack Payne, who thought it was about time someone did something, saying to The Guardian that “The UK’s been pretty rubbish for a long time in promoting cycling.”

So what for the future? Bike hire schemes appear to be here to stay and that can only spell good news to students, looking to reduce their carbon footprint, and increase their cash-flow.

Are you a student in an area where this scheme is available? Or would you like to see this scheme introduced to your campus? Please comment below.