Mother and son hoping for chain reaction

Mar 12 2009 by Graeme King, The Journal

A MOTHER and son team of entrepreneurs are peddling their pedaling business to companies across Tyneside to join the drive for sustainable transport.

Jennifer Cowley and her son Gareth Mitchell have set up Geko Leisure to lease bicycles to businesses, aiming to meet a need for a no-fuss, low-carbon transport option.

Mrs Cowley, 59, from North Shields, will buy bikes from British manufacturer Dawes, then lease them out to companies at around £20 per week.

That charge will include full servicing and cleaning every two weeks, the provision of a helmet, a lock, lights, a pump, a puncture repair kit and a high-visibility vest.

The other attraction of the scheme, compared to ownership, is that all bicycles will be replaced every 12 months.

Mrs Cowley, a former Procter & Gamble employee, said: “The idea is to lease say five to 10 bikes to a company and they then rent or give them to employees as a perk. On a business park, it could allow staff to go to the shops at lunchtime, or do some exercise.

“We will use Dawes mountain bikes or hybrids, and we’ve also thought that if a company is based in town where there is little space for storage, we could provide folding bikes.

“Sustainable transport is a hot topic at the moment, and we are already being invited to meetings with other like minded people.”