See.Sense Co Bikes Exeter Initiative 

As we move towards greener and more sustainable forms of transport, with cities and local authorities seeking to reduce car dependence, bike share schemes are becoming increasingly popular. Yet, this increased popularity brings with it many challenges for shared mobility operators, who are tasked with managing user experience and ensuring the safety of their customers and other road users. By utilising data insights, fleet operators can more effectively meet these challenges and ensure their shared mobility schemes are operating as efficiently as possible.

In April 2020, See.Sense partnered with fleet operator Co Bikes to undertake a world-first initiative to provide advanced data insights on their electric bike fleet - the largest such fleet in the UK. 

Through the project, Co Bikes are utilising See.Sense data to identify locations for future docking stations. By examining journey origin and destination points, ideal future docking locations can be identified. In turn, this data can be used to ‘sense check’ planned infrastructure proposals to determine if they align with actual existing route choice data, and determine if there is correlation with the strategic corridors identified by Exeter City Council in their own plans. 

The project is also assessing the connectivity and safety of the Exeter cycling network. See.Sense data is being used to identify strategic routes and areas in which demand for cycling infrastructure is high. This will provide valuable evidence for cycling infrastructure planning in Exeter to optimise the network's connectivity. To assess cycling safety, the project is also examining differences between hard/waymarked cycle infrastructure in the city to assess differences in speed, swerving, braking and collisions incidents that could be indicative of potential conflict. 

All Co Bike e-bikes and a number of e-cargo delivery bikes in Exeter have been equipped with a See.Sense SUMMIT (Sensor Unlocked Micro-mobility Insight Technology) device. Our SUMMIT trackers utilise our patented AI-sensor technology to monitor the rider’s environment up to 800 times per second, enabling situational awareness around the rider. This allows us to gather granular insights into the experience of the rider, including route popularity, speed, dwell time, swerving and braking, and road surface condition. Data is also collected on bike location and bike usage statistics.

Co Bikes have been able to access a personal dashboard that displays a variety of data insights, including near real-time bike location, individual bike stats, and aggregated route and speed data. Through these See.Sense data insights, Co Bikes have been able to gain a previously unobtainable level of insight into how their fleet is operating. This has enabled Co Bikes to more effectively monitor their e-bike fleet, and more accurately assess how their fleet network operates across the city. 

Mark Hodgson, Managing Director of Co Bikes, stated:

“Our partnership with See.Sense is enabling an unprecedented view of our e-bike fleet in Exeter, and providing us with a greater understanding of how to optimise our e-bike fleet for cyclists in Exeter.” 

This project is also helping to improve cycling conditions in Exeter, as our work with Co Bikes is now the focus of a research project conducted by the University of Plymouth through the Environmental Futures and Big Data Impacts Lab. This research is using the data insights gathered from Co Bikes’ fleet to provide an in-depth analysis of cycling in Exeter; analysis that will help the Council plan to support cycling in the city. You can read more about the project here. 

To find out how See.Sense technology and data services can help with your fleet operations please email team@seesense.cc and a member of our team will be in touch

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