The UK’s leading shared sustainable transport provider, Beryl and Herefordshire Council have launched an exciting and innovative new addition to their bike and e-bike share scheme.
Four brand new e-cargo bikes are now available to hire across the city – the first time that they have been provided alongside other modes of sustainable transport as part of one integrated scheme.
The e-cargo bikes can be rented using the Beryl app from hubs on King Street and St Peter’s Square.
Fitted with an electric-assist motor for extra power, the bikes are ideal for transporting small to medium loads of up to 80kg, such as work tools, shopping or sports equipment. They can be used on cycle lanes and roads, making them a sustainable alternative to vans and cars that helps reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion.
To help promote greater use and safer riding habits, Beryl are also giving e-cargo bike riders the chance to win free minutes, by completing a special online quiz.
Beryl CEO and co-founder Phil Ellis, said: “We know from other Beryl schemes that providing multiple modes encourages people to ride more, so it’s really exciting to launch our e-cargo bikes as part of an integrated system for the first time.
“Our e-cargo bike pilots have shown us that the vehicles can be incredibly useful to many, from businesses and tradespeople to families and individuals.
“They’re not only fun and sustainable, the storage gives them a wide range of uses and they’re a great way to stay active and avoid being sat in endless traffic queues, boosting your mental and physical health.
“They’re also extremely convenient and cost-effective when compared to private vehicle ownership, removing the burden of storage and maintenance as well as the costs of fuel, tax, MOT and insurance.”
Cllr Phillip Price, Cabinet Member Transport and Infrastructure, said: “We’re delighted to welcome these new additions to the Beryl fleet. It was recently announced that the scheme had reached the 750,000kms cycled landmark, and these new ecargo bikes will help to push this already sustainable, successful and popular scheme on to new heights.”
The e-cargo bikes are being funded by the Midland Net Zero Hub, one of five local hubs across the UK that aim to facilitate investment into decarbonisation projects, increasing the number, quality and scale of those being delivered across the regions.
Beryl currently provides 200 bikes and 104 e-bikes for riders in Hereford to use, which have generated more than 365,000 journeys across 863,000 km since launch. This has had a significantly positive impact on traffic congestion and air quality, replacing more than 103,000 private transport journeys (car, van, taxi, motorbike) and preventing over 33 tonnes of carbon emissions.
You can hire an e-cargo bike through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.
Riders must pay a standard £1.50 unlock fee, followed by 10p a minute. To maintain a clean and secure fleet and prevent obstruction, users that lock their e-cargo bike out of a bay will be charged a £10 fee and users that lock their e-cargo bike out of the service area will be charged a £25 fee. The out of service fee will increase to £80 if the e-cargo bike is left there for more than 24 hours.
In September 2021, Beryl launched the UK’s first e-cargo bike hire pilot in partnership with the Zero Emissions Network – a partnership between the London Boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets, supported by the Mayor of London.
In March this year, Beryl launched its second e-cargo bike share in Westminster, providing four new vehicles as part of a pilot scheme with Westminster City Council.
For more information, visit beryl.cc/hereford
