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Stoke on Trent railway station has opened a Brompton Dock hire station, the second of its kind to be launched this year, following Manchester Picadilly’s debut in March.
The Brompton Dock scheme at Stoke, holding ten Brompton bikes in Virgin Trains livery, is located in a modern, well-equipped and secure cycle centre on the station, created by the train operator to meet the rising trend for the traveling public to use bicycles as part of their overall journey.
Brompton Dock carries out all regular and emergency maintenance functions on the dock and Brompton bikes, and provides a full technical support service to members by telephone.
Those using the trains can register to use Brompton Docks here. Once registered, the user will be sent a unique four digit PIN. To take out a Brompton, the member sends a text message by mobile to Bromptondock, including the specific dock number and his or her PIN, after which a text will be received with a bay number and an access code so the bike may be taken out. Depending on the tariff chosen, a member may then keep the bike for as long as required, whether it is for one hour, one week or even a year.
“For Virgin Trains, Bromptondock offers a truly end-to-end transport solution in which the Brompton folding bike integrates into existing local and national networks of trains, trams and buses. This makes it attractive to our customers who also value the particular initiative we have taken at Stoke and Manchester. In addition, our partner provides a complete support service, so we don’t have to set up that essential infrastructure,” said Heather Hodkinson, station manager at Stoke-on-Trent/Stafford, Virgin Trains.
All Bromptondock products are manufactured for the company by CHH CoNeX in Birmingham.
