Running throughout October, the ‘Join the ride, not the rush’ campaign will aim to inspire more people to try Beryl e-bikes and e-scooters for their daily commute to work.
By reminding people that electric vehicles are not just fun to use, but can help people save time and avoid traffic congestion, the campaign will look to encourage more people to travel sustainably.
It will also reinforce how, by paying once and riding a lot using minute bundles, commuters can save money compared to the current cost of petrol or taxis. E-bike and e-scooter users in Norwich can purchase 100 minutes of riding for just £5, which is significantly less than it would cost to add enough fuel to a car to drive it for 100 minutes.
Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “One of the best aspects of electrically-assisted commuting is that, as well as travelling sustainably, you’ll also arrive at work looking as fresh as the moment you left the house.
“You don’t need to take a change of clothes or even work somewhere with shower facilities, which makes our scheme such a convenient way to get there.
“It's also a lot of fun and allows you to connect with your surroundings in a way that sitting in road traffic just doesn’t.
“In fact, instead of being sat in traffic, you can enjoy whizzing past it so why not give our e-bikes and e-scooters a try this month?”
With 95 Beryl Bays installed, 113,793 people in our Norwich scheme’s 68 sq km service area are a 5 minutes walk from a bay. This represents 60% of the service area's population.
E-bikes were added to the Norwich scheme on Monday 27 July 2020 and have undertaken over 95,000 journeys over a distance of 316,013 km. The average duration of these journeys is 23 minutes and the average distance is just over 3.3km.
Since e-scooters were added to the Norwich scheme on Monday 25 January 2021, they have undertaken nearly 336,000 journeys over a distance of 1,041,611 km. The average duration of these journeys is 22 minutes and the average distance is 3.1km.
Feedback from these e-bike and e-scooter journeys (over 4,000 responses) tells us that almost a third (31.3%) of these journeys have replaced road transport journeys, including driving or being a passenger in a car or using a taxi or a motorbike.
Based on industry calculations, the e-bikes and e-scooters have also saved over 18 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Norwich since their arrivals - the equivalent of 107 flights from London to Edinburgh.
You can hire a Beryl e-bike or an e-scooter through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.
E-scooter riders are required to provide a valid UK Driving Licence to participate. They are also asked to provide feedback on their experiences using the vehicles to support data learnings on operating the service.
Beryl e-scooters can be used on roads, cycle lanes, carriageways and other areas where cycling is permitted but not on pavements. Every Beryl e-scooter has vehicle approval from the Department for Transport (DfT), ensuring it meets the highest safety standards. Beryl has and will continue to consult with key organisations as the trial progresses.
For more information on Beryl’s innovative bike share scheme, please visit beryl.cc/bikeshare.