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Beryl has been announced as a bike share partner to help the City of London Corporation deliver on the dockless cycling elements of its transport strategy, launched at the 2019 London Cycling and Walking Conference.
The brand’s bike share scheme is a hybrid of dockless and docked systems, which will see bike parking bays strategically placed throughout the Square Mile.
Beryl’s emerald green bikes will be seen on the city’s streets from this summer onwards. Users will be informed of the location of ‘Beryl Bays’, the preferred parking locations to leave the bikes. The on-bike, ‘always-on’ GPS enables Beryl to track where bikes are parked, or identify those that need operator intervention, meaning the fleet can be managed from its HQ in London. The Beryl and City of London partnership will mark the first time this hybrid dockless model is trialled in central London.
Beryl founder and chairman Emily Brooke MBE said: “We have designed a different model of bike share – one that is more flexible than the traditional docked schemes, and yet affords us more control than the dockless operators. We are very excited to be partnering with a borough that has one of the highest pedestrian and cyclist traffic volumes in London. Our aim is to create a scheme that ensures bike share is both a viable and convenient modal option for people living and working in the city.”
Alastair Moss, planning and transportation chair at the City of London Corporation said: “We are looking forward to working with Beryl and freebike, who impressed us with their innovative solution to issues facing London, such as overcrowded and cluttered pavements. This trial follows the launch of the City Corporation’s first Transport Strategy, in which we have placed a renewed focus on prioritising the needs of cyclists. We are committed to improving the quality, convenience and accessibility of cycle hire facilities for City visitors, workers and residents to enjoy.”
The bikes will be available for instant hire via the Beryl App, available for download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users. The App will allow users to find and unlock any Beryl bike using their smartphone. The bikes cost 5p per minute to ride, with a £1 unlock fee that can be waived if you buy a bundle of minutes.
