Following the failure of the University of Portsmouth's Bikeabout programme in 1998, the introduction of new bicycle share systems proceeded more slowly in the United Kingdom than in the rest of Europe. Outside of London (see below), the largest is the hire-a-bike operation in Blackpool, operated by Hourbike , [37] with 60 stations and 500 bikes in the scheme. This scheme uses both RFID membership cards and instant point of sale memberships to cater for both residential users and the very many visitors that go to the resort every year. Hourbike also has schemes in Lincoln, Reading, Liverpool, Nottingham and Southport in England as well as Dumfries, Scotland.