Residents and visitors can enjoy a daily free bicycle ride, 7 days a week, in southeast Dorset this summer.
From 1 July to 30 September, Beryl pedal cycles can be picked up in Colehill, West Moors, West Parley, Ferndown or Wimborne between 5am and 10am to use free of charge for 30 minutes.
The Dorset bike share scheme, in partnership with Beryl and BCP Council, also spans from Studland, east to Highcliffe, taking in Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.
During the offer, the usual £1 unlock fee is waived. Should you wish to ride for longer than the 30 minutes, a charge of 5p per minute will be applied for the remainder of your ride.
Councillor Noc Lacey-Clarke, Dorset Council Cabinet Lead for Highways and Travel, said: “This is a great way to try a pedal cycle and make the most of summer in Dorset on two wheels.
“Whether you’re here on holiday, nipping to the shops, enjoying the area with friends or family or want an alternative to your daily commute in the car, why not make the most of this offer.”
The offer can be used once a day by the rider during the three-month period. Riders must be aged 16 years and over.
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Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “Commuting by bike is not only convenient and fun, it’s also cost effective.
“Dorset’s picturesque scenery makes it a great place to do so, allowing you to take in the scenery and the fresh air on the way to or from work.
“With the warmer weather and this latest offer, now is the perfect time to give it a go.”
The offer aims to inspire even more people to use shared transport to get to and from work, by showcasing how much fun it can be and how many practical benefits it can bring, including:
- Saving money on fuel and parking
- Getting fitter, healthier and more active
- Improving mental wellbeing
- Avoiding sitting in traffic jams
- Contributing towards reducing carbon emissions and boosting air quality
How to hire a Beryl
Download the app to find your nearest bicycle, tap to unlock and off you go!
The Beryl app is available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users. See full details of how it works.
When you get to where you’re going, park up in one of the designated Beryl bays and get on with the rest of your day.
There are plans in the coming months to extend the scheme to Upton and Corfe Mullen too. Keep an eye on the local press, newsletters and social media for details.
I would just like to say that I keep tripping over these bikes when they are just dumped on a pavement somewhere, blighting the landscape and making life difficult for pedestrians. At least I am not partially sighted, because then they would be dangerous to me. Although the scheme is laudable in many respects I feel it has not been thought through and like many initiatives these days it offers benefits to the young and healthy with a complete disregard for how the practicalities can affect the rest of the population.
Headline states “Free” but content qualifies this to 30 mins. Typical journalistic style of attracting attention.
As I have said before, these bikes are rubbish and the cycle scheme increasingly useless for our aging population.