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Winkworth ditches cars for bikes

Winkworth is ditching cars to trial Gocycles, the world's lightest electric bike.

The franchise, which is in the throes of preparing to float on the Alternative Investment Market, will trial a fleet of 20 Gocycles (pictured) in a bid to slash the time and cost created by agent viewings, and to reduce its carbon footprint.

There are currently 56 offices and over 225 agents in the network in London alone.

Will Yule, director of Winkworth's Knightsbridge office, says: “On average, a Winkworth estate agent will make eight journeys by car each day and could spend many hours behind the wheel as he or she notches up over 30 miles conducting viewings and valuations every week.

"In the current challenging economic environment, using Gocycle as a transportation method offers a more relevant and greener mobility alternative to operating a fleet of cars.”

Winkworth is trialling the bikes for free, with its South Kensington and Knightsbridge offices having already each snapped one up.

A spokeswoman for the network says: “We would love it if every Winkworth franchise owned at least one bike and ditched the car. It’s a big target, but one we’re really keen to push.”

The bikes retail at around £1,100 each, but under the Government’s Cycle To Work scheme, they can be bought for around £50 per month over a 12-month period, after which time an office will own the bike outright, creating a saving of around 50%.

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