Only a few dozen people have subscribed online to Dublin's long awaited rent-a-bike scheme, which received its internet launch last week.

According to Paul Heffernan, a spokesman for Dublin City Council, subscriptions are currently minimal. Despite the initial low figures, however, Heffernan says the website has attracted over 15,000 hits in its first few days.

"The figures for those subscribing will rise once the initiative is completely rolled-out in early September and the website is proving to be very popular," he said.

He also said there would be no further delays in the scheme.

It was originally intended the bicycles would be made available to the public in July.

Four hundred and fifty bicycles will be made available under an agreement with French advertising firm JC Decaux. The company will provide and maintain the bicycles in exchange for a 15-year permission to use outdoor advertising space in Dublin. The deal is estimated to be worth €1m annually to JC Decaux.

It will cost €10 a year for cyclists to join the scheme. The first half an hour rental will be free although there will be an increasing scale of rents after that to encourage a frequent turnover of the bikes at the stations.

The scheme also operates in Paris, Vienna and Lyon.

"We expect subscriptions to rise to the low hundred by the time it is fully in operation," Heffernan said. "It is something which will be used by those who just want to get somewhere in the city centre quickly and research has shown that most people only use the bikes for an average of 20 minutes every day, so most will find they are getting free usage".