A fleet of electric bikes will be arriving in the borough in January.

Kingston’s Sustainable Transport team is working with electric bike provider Human Forest to bring around 100 bikes to the borough, building up to around 500 next spring.

The bikes are operated via a smartphone app and the anticipated cost to hire one is 15p per minute for the first 10 minutes and 10p per minute thereafter.

The e-bikes will be located near railway stations (cross fingers for Surbiton, Tolworth and Berrylands) as well as retail, leisure and educational locations.

“The current COVID situation means that many residents are seeking alternatives to public transport and e-bikes provide a convenient, enjoyable and cost effective solution to journeys under 5km, as well as contributing to the boroughs Air Quality Action Plan and Climate Change initiatives,” said a Kingston council spokesman.