Bike for Good launches crowdfunding amid cost of living crisis

Bike for Good is crowdfunding to keep its operations going as a recent hike in the cost of essentials like rent and utilities means the organisation is now “financially insecure”.

The charity, which has two hubs, in the West End and the Southside of the city, says it has recently seen its property costs rise by 55%, while overhead and admin costs were up by 22%. 

Bosses say they might have to scale back on the services they offer and even take out loans if funders don’t agree to relocate grants to basic expenses. 

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Bike for Good is a popular charity in Glasgow, as it helps people on low incomes get on two wheels

Founder and CEO Gregory Kinsman-Chauvet said: “The charity could be in danger.

“We are recovering from Covid, our reserves are depleted, now we have all these rising costs and we are so low in cash, so we are restricting to paying the essentials, like utilities and salaries."

Fariha Saeed, Bike for Good’s communications lead, added: “We're planning to strip back on certain services.

“We're going to reevaluate all the different things that we're doing and look at what potentially could go, because we're not going to have the capacity to keep going.”

Like many other charities, Bike for Good has seen a huge spike in demand for services post-lockdown, as more Glaswegians turned to active travel.

However, it might not be able to meet it.

Mr Kinsman-Chauvet said: “People are struggling, they can't afford to buy a car, their health is maybe not so good so they want to exercise, they might avoid public transport because of Covid, so they want bikes. 

“But we can’t fulfil the demand in these conditions, and when we're going to review some of the services it will be even more difficult.”

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Bike for Good has two hubs in Glasgow, in the West End and in the Southside

Bike for Good offers popular services, like a discounted nextbike membership for people with low or no income, and the Cycle Repair Scheme, which gives people a 50% discount on the cost of their repair. 

However, they might not be able to accommodate these in the future.

The charity was low on funds during lockdowns and is still trying to make up for the losses.

Ms Saeed said: “We weren't able to run some of the services that do generate money for us, we had to change or redirect a lot of what we did, even our bike sales.

"We used to sell bikes, pretty much every day of the week that we were open, and then we had to change it to just Saturdays. 

“So we're sort of catching up as well, and with the rising costs it's been a bit of a nightmare.”

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During the pandemic, more and more Glaswegians turned to active travel

The way funds are allocated means the money can only be used to cover certain expenses. 

Ms Saeed added: “It’s very often the case that the money they're giving is just to run our projects. 

“But the situation we’re in is, how do we do that if our basic needs aren't being met at the moment?”

The organisation had launched a fundraiser in 2020, when it was first forced to close due to the pandemic. 

Thanks to the generosity of Glaswegians, it was able to stay afloat until it was recognised as an essential business and allowed to reopen. 

It is now running a “Covid recovery winter appeal” to meet basic costs and keep services up and running. 

You can donate here.