Halfords is planning on gifting electric bikes, up to a value of £999, to a selection of young people currently experiencing financial hardship. Former Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion, Victoria Pendleton will be assisting in selecting the applicants.
To begin, Halfords will be giving away Pendleton Somerby electric bikes, the Carrera Crosscity and the Apollo Transport e-bikes to the demographic age group of 18 - 24 who do not current have any access to a car.
A total of twenty electric bikes will be gifted to struggling young adults. In order to apply, potential applicants need to visit the Halford’s website where they will have to fill out a questionnaire regarding their personal circumstances and their intentions with the e-bike. This scheme arrives at a pertinent time with unemployment in youth rising dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic, due to younger workers being the majority of service industry workers and impacted the most directly through travel and movement bans.
Halford's have had an increase in electric bike and electric scooter sales during the pandemic as the rise of ‘e-mobilty’ slowly takes over the UK. This could be due to many factors; avoiding public transport, desire for exercise, increased anti-car measures and many more.