The Bike Taxi will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until 31 July 2023. Regular bookings with passengers are being made showing the positive impact of the service. Taster sessions are available to help to directly answer any questions potential passengers may want to ask before making their own booking.

Bookings can be made, and more information on the service can be found here.

The free side-by side Cycle Taxi service launched in Enfield in December 2022. The scheme is operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The two pilots cycling the Enfield Cycle Taxi are both active in the local cycling community and have regular bookings from passengers, showing the positive impact of the service. Taster sessions are available to help to directly answer any questions potential passengers may want to ask before making their own booking.

Journeys and Places were instrumental in working alongside Bikeworks to bring their Cycle Taxi service to Enfield and are actively working with partners to help promote the service.

The Cycle Taxi has a regular weekly afternoon booking for the Elizabeth Lodge Care Home, offering residents the opportunity to take a quick ride to get out and about. The Journeys and Places team visited the Elizabeth Lodge Care Home on 24 May to see how the service was being used and get the views of some of the residents using it.

The first two care home residents to take a ride on the Cycle Taxi were Diane aged 95 and Rob aged 97. Diane is a regular user of the service and was full of smiles when she returned, saying it was lovely and adding ‘I’m 95 and still alive!’

The next two riders, Francis aged 86 and Joan aged 98. Francis, one of the regulars, said ‘I love it, it’s great to get some exercise and be out in the sunshine.’ It was Joan’s first time, before setting off she told us ‘It’s new to me but I’ll give anything a go.’ When she returned from her first ride, we asked Joan if she had enjoyed it and she said ‘It was so much fun, like serenity, I could go round and round and round. I’m already looking forward to next week.’

The care home manager, Jan, said:

‘We’ve been using the service for a few months now after I saw it being promoted on Facebook. I thought it would be a good way of getting our residents out and about, to see more of the local community and get some exercise. We have four regulars who go every week and at least two new residents every week.

Using the service has been a bit of a game changer for us, it brings the residents closer to the local community. There’s lots of smiles, bell ringing, waving, smiles and laughter along the way from the riders, passers-by and motorists alike. Last week, someone stopped for a chat and brought us all a drink out. Francis sings for the entire ride and they all love waving to the pupils from the nearby Highlands School on their way home.’

Sibel, the local Cycle Taxi pilot said ‘I love working with the residents, it makes me so happy doing this job. There are so many smiles.’

We certainly went home with a bike smile on our faces too!