Free Bikes Programme Co-design Panel Final Report and Recommendations

The Free Bikes Programme Co-design Panel was established in April 2022 in collaboration with Transport Scotland’s Sustainable and Active Travel team and Young Scot. The project was aimed at engaging young people in Transport Scotland’s Access to Bikes programme.

This programme is committed to providing free bikes to school aged children who cannot afford them. Between 2021-2022, Transport Scotland (TS) ran ten pilots for The Free Bikes Programme, aimed at trialling delivery with a variety of local authorities, local partnerships and local communities.

Introducing The Free Bikes Programme Co-design Panel into this wider work provided the opportunity for young people to inform and influence the future delivery and development of this programme. The Panel were tasked with exploring Transport Scotland’s ambitions for the programme, the pilot work and the practicalities involved throughout this project. Their purpose was to provide feedback, share concerns, identify potential solutions and test these out to inform the development of a national Access to Bikes policy. The work of the Panel will support Transport Scotland to ensure they gather valuable information, views and ideas from young people directly to inform the future delivery of this work.