E-bike scheme a success in week one despite vandals

Almost 700 journeys have been made in the first week of a new e-bike hire scheme - and 450 users have already signed up.

Beryl launched in Bradford on 10 March and the operator already runs similar projects in Leeds and Manchester, with sponsorship from train company LNER.

However, there have been several instances of vandalism, and Bradford Council said it is "supporting enforcement" to clamp down on misuse.

Councillor Sirferaz Siddiq reposted images of some of the damaged bikes on social media. He said: "Residents were told this would improve the city. Instead, we're seeing bikes dumped in bushes, abandoned in parks and left blocking pavements."

A statement from Bradford Council said that while a small number of vandalism incidents had occurred over the weekend, the overall public response had been positive.

"We are working closely with Beryl, who operate the e-bikes, and local policing teams to address these issues as a priority.

"This includes increasing monitoring at key locations, reviewing bike deployment, and supporting enforcement activity where unsafe or criminal behaviour is identified," it said.

According to Beryl, 95% of journeys ended in designated bays and only 1% concluded outside the service area.

The company issues a £10 charge when bikes are not parked correctly, and an out-of-area retrieval fee when bikes are taken beyond the service boundary.

People have to register on an app to use the bikes, so the fines are automatically issued to their accounts. They also contain GPS tracking, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Since the scheme launched, riders have completed 684 journeys with peak usage between 13:00 and 16:00 GMT and the council said more bikes and docking bays would be rolled out this week.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby said she was "delighted to see such strong enthusiasm from day one".

She added: "It's fantastic to see residents embracing a cleaner, healthier and more affordable way to travel, and the early levels of uptake show just how ready people are for positive change."

Beryl bikes have been available in Leeds since 2023.

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