From Friday 14 February, unlock fees will drop to just £1 for both Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) and Minute Bundles across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole as well as Dorchester, Weymouth and Portland, making sustainable transport an even cheaper way to travel across the region. 

A brand new 50 Minute Bundle will also be introduced, which will cost £5 and offer riders even greater journey payment flexibility.

The changes are being introduced in response to feedback from both riders and those who had signed up to Beryl but had yet to take a ride. 

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “Listening to feedback and using it to drive improvement and progress is key to ensuring that our schemes are as integrated, convenient and easy to use as possible.

“We know, from our latest Rider Report, that 41% of our riders see cost as a barrier to more frequent riding, while 29% of non-riders see it as a barrier to taking that first ride. 

“Cutting the unlock fee to £1, a 33% drop, and introducing a cheaper Minute Bundle option will make sustainable transport even more accessible to a greater range of people. 

“Hopefully this will help encourage more people to swap four wheels for two and contribute towards reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions while improving public health.”

Councillor Andy Hadley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy at BCP Council, said: “Our popular bike and e-scooter share scheme provides a healthy and environmentally friendly way of getting around BCP, whilst reducing congestion for all. 

“By using the Minute Bundles some great savings can be made, making this a very convenient and cost-effective mode of transport. We welcome the pricing changes Beryl is making.” 

Cllr Nick Ireland, Leader of Dorset Council and Cabinet Member for Climate, Performance and Safeguarding said: “We’re pleased to work with Beryl on their well-received Dorchester, Weymouth, and Portland bike-hire scheme, which has around 1,000 active users since its introduction in August last year. 

“Supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities is a big priority for Dorset Council, and cycling helps keep people active as well as reduces carbon emissions, so these price changes are a win-win for everybody.”

As part of the changes, Beryl will also be removing the 300 Minute Bundle option.

Launched on 17 June 2019, the BCP shared bike, e-bike and e-scooter scheme has, overall, generated more than 2,360,000 sustainable journeys across more than eight million kilometres - the equivalent of around 200 trips around the Earth. According to industry calculations, this has prevented around 273 tonnes of harmful carbon emissions.

Since hitting the streets of Dorchester, Weymouth and Portland on 20 August last year, the shared e-bikes have generated nearly 16,000 sustainable journeys across nearly 65,000 kilometres - the equivalent of more than one and a half trips around the Earth. According to industry calculations, this has prevented around two tonnes of harmful carbon emissions.

A B Corp registered company, Beryl is recognised for meeting exceptional standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

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

For more information on Beryl schemes, please visit beryl.cc/where-you-can-hire