Beryl Bikes by Breeze is celebrating a successful impact on influencing sustainable travel habits and improving air quality, 1 year on from its initial launch.
Run by operator Beryl, alongside Solent Transport and its partner local authorities, the scheme has generated over 72,000 journeys across nearly 186,000km in its 1st year – more than 4 and a half trips around the Earth.
Feedback from users reveals that almost 15,000 of these journeys have directly replaced private car, van or taxi journeys, saving over 5 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the scheme, which is funded by the Solent Future Transport Zone, was expanded earlier this Summer and now offers 75 bikes at around 90 bays on the Isle of Wight.
Beryl also operates a DfT-sanctioned rental e-scooter trial on the Isle of Wight, which launched in November 2020 and has generated over 145,000 journeys across 454,000 km.
Phil Ellis, Beryl CEO and cofounder, has said:
“We deliver shared sustainable transport schemes in towns and cities to help boost access to cycling and encourage more people out of their cars for short journeys.
“By doing this we help contribute towards cutting urban traffic congestion, improving air quality and getting more people active, which is scientifically proven to improve both mental and physical health.
Article continues below this advertisement “The numbers show that our Solent schemes have been successful in this regard and we look forward to working with our local authority partners to build upon what has been a successful first year.”
Councillor Phil Jordan, Isle of Wight Council Leader and Deputy Chair of Solent Transport’s Joint Committee said:
“The Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council are united in their vision for delivering a regional bike share scheme that offers a more cost effective and coordinated approach to transforming public transport as part of the DfT funded, Solent Future Transport Zone.
“Beryl Bikes by Breeze are proving a popular and welcome addition to the region and I am enthusiastic about expanding the current area of operation to ensure sustainable transport becomes a viable option for more of our residents and visitors.
“A well utilised bike share scheme that can be accessed from our Breeze transport app, is an important element in our aspiration to improve transport connectivity across south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
This is outrageous! They should have to sit in traffic with me!
Don’t know about the bikes but it’s obvious that most of the e-scooters are used by schoolchildren. But, I guess that’s why Beryl park them conveniently close to most of the schools, because they recognise that children are their main market.
Yes, there’s journey’s being made, but how many of them are actually replacing car journeys? Very few, I’d guess.
How are children doing this if – unlike bikes – those scooters require a linked driving license to the account?
I’d wager that some of those “kids” are in fact old enough (I’m 30 and often have to ask to pay for floating bridge cause staff assumes I’m younger than 19yo) and it’s just observer downplaying age of someone…
…and then the other half are actual kiddos who “borrow” driving licenses from their parents, which isn’t much different from “borrowing” car keys – which isn’t really scooter-related, always gonna happen.
Kids scooting on their own mean less school runs in a car – it is always good! Makes it safer for every other kid to actively commute on their own as well.
It’s a maaaassive win-win-win:
– for children who can be independent, socialise with friends and travel on their own terms
– parents who don’t have to mend their schedule around school times anymore
– drivers who have less cars on a road to deal with
They are being ridden by idiots with no safety protection on.
And many are obviously too young to hold even a provisional licence. But of course they can jump on a bike and make just as much of a nuisance of themselves without needing a licence. The whole ‘experiment’ is confusing, dangerous and just not being policed properly. (Like everything else)
You can ride a bike without a license in UK, yes – there’s nothing to police. There’s nothing confusing about it. Has always been like that.
Privately-owned or rented, doesn’t matter, same laws. Nothing to do with the experiment.
And is it dangerous? I’m pretty sure recent stats reported here show plenty of deaths and serious injuries by cars and none by bikes on pedestrian hits?
So… what’s your point?
More totally made up garbage figures.
Garbage? Sorry, are you American?