Access to a loan bike kept John's mind and body healthy

Partner: Sustrans

Scheme: UtravelActive            

Location: Leeds

When the opportunity to hire a bike affordably was offered through UTravelActive’s Velocampus scheme, University of Leeds student John Pelletier took full advantage.

He had recently lost weight and wanted to keep it off. With affordable bike hire, not only did he maintain his weight loss, but he shed even more pounds. John says “I noticed a substantial increase in both my physical and mental health when I was commuting every day.”

Although he had cycled before, John says that he has covered far more miles with his UTravelActive bike, cycling to university every day, often beating the buses and cars on his journey in and saving £3.20 in daily bus fares. He says “The programme has changed my life in so many amazing ways, giving me complete mobility, which I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.” He has not only changed his travel behaviour; he has decided to study for a Masters in sustainable transport focusing on walking and cycling infrastructure and development.

 

Result: Access to bikes gives people a healthy, low-cost travel alternative. It also provides an opportunity to increase physical activity through offering wider, everyday active travel.