Frontline Bikes was launched in October 2020 by Frontline Make Change (Frontline), a charity since 1999, that has worked with people and their families in the surrounding Dublin 8 area suffering from drug or alcohol addiction. They have provided over 20 years of service to the community of Inchicore, Bluebell and Kilmainham and is held in high regard by residents, businesses, and local agencies. Frontline is a low-threshold service that meets people “where they are at” and helps them along their recovery journey providing addiction services, counselling, and family support programmes. The final step in this journey is to help those who are ready to access employment. This is an extremely complex challenge for several diverse reasons. The challenges associated with securing employment after serving a prison sentence were repeatedly emphasised during Restorative Practice Groups facilitated by Frontline, and in conversations with people in the justice system following their release. This issue is not unique to the geographic area in which Frontline operates and has been well-documented nationally and internationally.

The shop in Dublin 8 and later the production, training and upcycling unit in Bluebell, Dublin 12 were launched with the joint objectives of bridging the gap between addiction recovery and employment through training, work experience and employment opportunities and making high-quality, low-cost upcycled bikes available to the public, particularly to those without the financial means to purchase a first-hand bike. The Frontline Bikes model was also designed to inherently deliver on environmental objectives through promoting a more sustainable means of transport and redirecting waste from landfills.

Frontline Bikes contributes a host of additional social and environmental benefits through its work. One such benefit is the positive messaging within the local community of having people who have overcome addiction and a history of convictions now working in a full-time job. This sends a message to young people who are in addiction or getting involved in crime that there is a way out or an alternative to the lifestyle that they are currently in. Aside from the benefits to employees, Frontline Bikes also serves the community by being the only shop providing a more affordable alternative to a new bike for customers in the Inchicore area. The benefits of cycling are well known, and Frontline Bikes promotes a means of transport that offers excellent health benefits to users, is environmentally friendly, and reduces traffic congestion.