The new annual report by national shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) has found that bike share schemes continue to grow in popularity with 61% of riders asked saying they have saved money.
CoMoUK’s findings echo those found in Beryl’s Annual Rider Report, which found that 20% of the 3000+ Beryl riders surveyed in 2022 said that cost was the most important reason for signing up, doubling its importance compared to the previous year.
Beryl CEO and co-founder Phil Ellis believes that CoMo’s findings are reflective of external factors: “In line with rising cost of living, people are recognising the value of shared micromobility schemes as a more cost-effective and practical alternative to private vehicle ownership.
“Using our vehicles is not only convenient, it removes the costs associated with owning a car, such as petrol, tax, maintenance, MOT, storage and insurance - all of which aren’t getting any cheaper.
“We know from talking to our own users that practicality is king when it comes to transport. 38% of all those we recently asked said they had reduced their car usage since using Beryl - an increase from 29% last year.
“We want to continue to encourage people to swap four wheels for two, which will not only save money, but will also help improve mental and physical health and contribute towards reducing congestion and carbon emissions.”
The CoMo report surveyed 2,233 active bike share users across 10 locations. This includes Norwich and Bournemouth, both of which offer Beryl-operated multimodal schemes, as well as Greater Manchester, Birmingham and London, all of which offer bike share schemes that utilise Beryl bikes and/or technology.
The report also found a number of other interesting findings that support the data obtained by Beryl’s Annual Rider Report, including:
- Bike share incentivises more frequent cycling
- Bike share is often used to connect with other forms of public transport
- Bike share reduces car use
- Bike share is increasingly used for commuting
For more information on Beryl, visit beryl.cc
“Using our vehicles is not only convenient, it removes the costs associated with owning a car, such as petrol, tax, maintenance, MOT, storage and insurance - all of which aren’t getting any cheaper"