Half a million journeys on Beryl BTN Bikes

Beryl BTN Bikes hit a major milestone this week – half a million journeys in Brighton & Hove.

The city’s cycle hire scheme reached the landmark number on Tuesday 18 March.

The 500,000 journey figure has been reached since the scheme was relaunched in March 2023 with Beryl as its new operator and it’s expansion in October of the same year.

Since then, more than 86,000 people have used either pedal or electric bikes to cycle around the city, travelling a combined 1.2 million kilometres and saving 46 tonnes of carbon emissions.

There are now more than 100 hubs and 780 bikes in use around Brighton & Hove.

Facts and figures

Since the launch of the Beryl BTN scheme in March 2023, we’ve seen:

• 500,000 journeys
• 1,200,000 kilometres travelled
• 143,000 hours of physical activity
• More than 86,000 users
• 46 tonnes of carbon emissions saved – equivalent to 10+ flights from London to New York.
• 2.9 kilometres average journey distance

Traveling actively is one of the most effective and easy ways to fit more physical activity into your daily life. Take a look at our Physical Activity Strategy, aiming to make Brighton & Hove one of the nation’s most active cities.

Beloved cycle hire scheme

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport, Parking and Public Realm, said: “This is a fantastic milestone for Beryl BTN bikes and shows just how beloved the scheme is to residents and visitors.

“Beryl BTN bikes are a great way to get around the city. Cycling has so many mental and physical health benefits, but the scheme helps to reduce car journeys, cutting congestion and improving air quality.

“We’re working to improve the city’s cycling infrastructure with new cycle lanes coming along the A23 corridor and through Valley Gardens, with more to come, giving people sustainable travel options.

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 Brighton and Hove over the last couple of 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 council partners to ensure the scheme remains as user friendly as possible and hopefully encourage even more people to swap four wheels for two.”