Brighton & Hove’s cycle hire scheme is back.
New Beryl BTN Bikes will start hitting the city streets from 31 March.
Phase one of the scheme relaunch will see around 75 e-bikes operating from 19 hubs along the seafront and the corridors connecting it to Brighton and Hove stations. This will increase to 125 during this first phase.
More bikes and hubs will be brought into service in the coming months.
Further phases will see the rollout of the rest of the fleet of 468 e-bikes and 312 pedal only bikes to create a total fleet of 780 bikes, nearly 200 more than the previous scheme.
15 new hubs to make the scheme coverage city wide will be consulted on in the next few months.
Residents, visitors and commuters can download the Beryl app now in preparation for the scheme relaunch.
Image: (left to right) Phil Ellis, CEO and cofounder of Beryl, councillor Jamie Lloyd and Council Leader Phélim Mac Cafferty with a new Beryl BTN Bike
Councillor Jamie Lloyd, member of the of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee said: “What a fantastic way to start the spring.
“The Beryl BTN bikes look fantastic and I can’t wait to see people using them.
“This new look scheme will take cycle hire in the city to a new level with e-bikes and new bays.
“Cycling is a great way to get around Brighton & Hove, but not everyone has the space to store their own bike. The e-bikes will also make it easier to navigate some of the city’s steeper roads.
“Getting on a bike is a proven way to improve your physical and mental health and Beryl BTN Bikes make hiring one quick, easy and affordable.”
Phil Ellis, CEO and cofounder of Beryl said: “We’re truly excited to be working in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and are really excited to be launching our service in one of the country’s most progressive and vibrant cities.
“We have a proven track record of working in partnership with major cities and in consultation with communities and key stakeholders to deliver successful schemes that play a crucial role in integrated urban transport systems.
“Our vehicles are not only good for the environment, they’re also fun, easy to use and cost-effective, removing the need for vehicle ownership expenses such as fuel, tax, MOT, storage and maintenance.
“We hope that, from the launch of the first phase later this month, the scheme will encourage as many people as possible to switch to more sustainable transport.”
You can hire a Beryl BTN Bike in three easy steps:
During this first phase, bikes must be returned to active bays. You may incur a charge if bikes at left at hubs which are currently not in use.
More information, including pricing and tariff options, will be available on the Beryl website soon.
BTN BikeShare has been a very popular scheme since it was launched in September 2017.
In that time more than 1.75 million journeys have been made covering nearly 4 million miles.