The scheme, which is run by Herefordshire Council in partnership with operator Beryl, has also generated nearly 1.2m kilometres worth of journeys and generated nearly 147,000 hours of physical activity.

According to industry calculations, the scheme has also saved nearly 46 tonnes of harmful carbon emissions, since it was first introduced in summer 2019. 

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “Our aim, as a shared sustainable transport provider, is to break down the barriers to active travel and encourage people to adopt greener transport habits. 

“Reaching this significant journey milestone shows that we’ve been able to have a significant impact in Hereford over the last five years and have contributed towards reducing congestion, improving air quality and getting people more active. 

“Bike share is a convenient, flexible, accessible and fun way to make short journeys and is cost effective compared to private vehicle ownership, removing the expenses of fuel, tax, storage, MOT, maintenance and insurance.

“We will continue to work with our local authority partners to ensure the scheme remains as user friendly as possible and hopefully encourage even more people to swap four wheels for two.”

According to Beryl’s latest annual Rider Report - a survey of thousands of Beryl riders undertaken across all scheme areas last summer - 68% of riders in Hereford have used a Beryl vehicle to replace a car, van, motorcycle or taxi journey (either as a driver or a passenger). This is 14% more than the average across all schemes. 

Of those asked, 60% of Beryl riders in Hereford said they now cycle more often or much more often since joining Beryl, while 46% said they have reduced their use of cars and 44% have reduced their use of taxis.

Beryl currently provides 200 bikes and 104 e-bikes for riders in Hereford to use. 

You can hire a Beryl e-bike through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users. 

For more info, visit beryl.cc/scheme/hereford