Operated by Beryl as part of Plymouth City Council’s Connect Plymouth scheme, the bikes have just surpassed 267,000 miles since launching in March 2023, more than the distance between Earth and the Moon. 

The scheme has generated more than 175,000 sustainable journeys and, according to industry calculations, prevented more than 12 tonnes of carbon emissions - a significant impact on traffic congestion and air quality. 

It is also responsible for more than 45,000 hours of physical activity and exercise, which is scientifically proven to boost mental and physical health. 

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “These milestones reaffirm just how successful our electric bikes have been in Plymouth over the past eighteen months.

“We know, from speaking to them directly, that our riders in the city really value the convenience and speed of bike share when compared to other forms of transport.

"We also know the e-bikes have had a positive long term effect on many, with well over a third of our Plymouth riders telling us that they've used cars less often since taking their first ride. 

“We will continue to work alongside our council partners and listen to feedback from our riders to ensure our scheme remains as convenient, safe and user friendly as possible.”

Councillor Mark Coker, Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet member for Transport said: “That’s a lot of miles and more importantly, a lot of carbon emissions that have not gone into the atmosphere.  

“We have been working to change the way people move around the city.  We want to make it as easy as possible for people to choose sustainable transport options – especially on shorter trips around the city and these figures prove that people are taking to Beryl bikes in droves.”

Beryl’s latest annual Rider Report - a survey of thousands of Beryl riders across multiple scheme areas, showed that the e-bikes have had a positive impact on riders in Plymouth. Of the riders asked in the city, 55% said they had ridden more often or much more often since first using Beryl, while 37% said that they had used cars less or had completely stopped since first using Beryl.   

Beryl e-bikes can easily be hired via the Beryl app, which is available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.

Users can pay for their journeys in different ways to suit individual needs and  circumstances:

• Pay As You Ride is best for single journeys or occasional rides and will cost users £1 unlocking fee and 15p per minute
• Minute Bundles enable regular users to buy upfront and save money, with no unlock fee and starting at £7.50 for 50 minutes

Connect Plymouth is the name for the network of facilities formerly known as mobility hubs. It is part of the Department of Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund, which aims to change people’s travel habits by making it as easy as possible for people to choose low carbon options to get about.

In March 2020 the Council received £51.2m capital funding from the Transforming Cities Fund. This builds upon the £7.6m previously awarded in 2019.

For more information, visit beryl.cc/plymouth