The first bikes introduced as part of Cardiff’s new hire scheme will be available from Monday.

The rollout of the scheme begins on March 26, with 50 bikes and five docking stations.

The first bikes will be located near City Hall, Cardiff Central station, Cardiff University’s Bute Building in Cathays Park, and at County Hall in Cardiff Bay.

The scheme is being run by nextbike , who run similar schemes around the world, and has council and Welsh Government backing.

By the end of August there will be 10 stations and 100 bikes.

Eventually there will be 50 stations and 500 bikes located in and around Cardiff.

The bikes will have integrated front locks and GPS tracking.

A previous bike hire scheme was run in the city but stopped in 2011 when the council ended its funding.

Operators OYBike ended the scheme after failing to secure a corporate sponsor.

It is hoped the new bike scheme will reduce congestion, free up parking spaces and will provide a healthier way to travel around the city.

Director of planning, transport and the environment Andrew Gregory, managing director of Nextbike Julian Scriven, Llandaff North councillor Jennifer Burke-Davies, and cabinet member for transport councillor Caro Wild

Cabinet member Caro Wild said: “A bike hire scheme is a vital part of a true cycling city and I am delighted nextbike have recognised the great potential for cycling in Cardiff.

“When we announced the scheme was coming to Cardiff we asked residents to get in touch with us and give their feedback on where the bikes should be located.

“All of the feedback has been considered as we have planned the future phases of the scheme.

“We’ve seen in London how their bike scheme really increased the accessibility and visibility of bikes and we think nextbike will do the same for Cardiff.

“Cardiff is a compact and relatively flat city so cycling is a good option for shorter journeys.

Riders can register through Nextbike's app, hotline, website or at terminals placed around some of their cities

“This scheme is only part of the cabinet’s plans to improve the cycling infrastructure to encourage people that live in or close to the city to leave their cars at home and consider alternative options.”

Julian Scriven, MD of nextbike UK, said: “It’s exciting to see the bikes start to roll out in Cardiff. From reducing congestion and creating new jobs, to improving health and mobility, bikeshare is having a real impact wherever it goes.

“Our research shows that bike sharing users spend more at local stores, property prices by docking stations increase, and car parking demand falls, as does congestion and the resulting pollution.”

What will it cost?

Pay as you go - £1 for 30 mins, £10 per 24hrs

Annual Subscription - £60 or £5 per month (with a 12 months commitment), first 30 mins free, thereafter costs are 50p per 30 mins, up to a maximum cap of £5 per day.

There will also be some concessions available