Belfast Bikes see drop in rentals after price hike

A bicycle rental scheme in Belfast has seen usage fall by a quarter since prices were sharply increased.

The revamped Belfast Bikes scheme was launched last September, with Beryl taking over operations and introducing e-bikes.

It had faced some criticism over price rises, including a year-long membership costing £120 - nearly five times higher than before.

Belfast City Council said the latest rental figures "reflect a period of transition" and the new pricing structures offer users "flexibility".

It said rentals were affected by reduced bicycle numbers during the initial installation period and users being required to register new accounts with Beryl.

The council added it was "encouraged by the steady growth in new sign-ups" and it expects usage to increase in the months ahead and into the summer.

Almost 51,800 rentals were recorded between last September and March this year, according to figures obtained by BBC News NI.

That compares to nearly 69,500 in the same period a year earlier - a drop of more than 25%.

It is also the second-lowest figure for the September to March period since Belfast Bikes began operating in 2015.

Meg Hoyt, chair of the Belfast Cycle Campaign group, urged the council to make the scheme "as affordable and friction-less as possible".

"Our view is that the price change probably had a significant impact on numbers in the short term," she said.

She added that Belfast "badly needs joined-up cycling infrastructure", describing current provisions as "patchy, difficult to negotiate and not very visible".

The council's figures were released in a Freedom of Information response.

They also show that since their introduction, e-bikes have been more popular than standard pedal bicycles.

There were almost 29,900 e-bike journeys or rentals between last September and March, compared to just over 21,900 for pedal bikes.

A bike-sharing scheme was first introduced in the city over a decade ago. At one point, almost 40% of the rental bikes were out of action due to vandalism.

Green Party councillor Brian Smyth said the revamped Belfast Bikes scheme needed "a few months for it to get fully up to speed".

"What we would be looking at is the next data, the next quarter data coming through," he said.

The east Belfast representative said the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) should do more to encourage cycling and address any safety fears.

He described the Stormont department as "car dominant", adding that more progress was needed on active travel measures such as cycle lanes.

Anne Madden, from the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, acknowledged that the new pricing structures provided "more flexibility with passes and bundles".

She said a "lack of good cycling infrastructure and safety concerns" were raised in its surveys as the "main hurdles to getting more people using the bikes".

The policy manager also said surveys suggest the "vast majority" of rental bike users are men, adding that this "gender gap needs to be seriously addressed".

Belfast City Council and Beryl, which was appointed by the local authority to operate the bike scheme, were approached for comment.

In a statement the council said: "Current user figures reflect a period of transition following the launch in September 2025, where bike numbers were reduced during initial installation, and all existing and new users were required to download the Beryl app and register a new account to access the upgraded fleet."

The council said it was "encouraged by the steady growth in new sign-ups" and journeys last month increased compared to March in the previous year.

It added that this was expected to "continue in the months ahead and over the summer".

On the issue of pricing, the council said the revamped scheme "introduced a new suite of pricing tariffs to offer flexibility for users including pay as you ride, minute bundles, student discount and corporate memberships".

DfI said the Stormont department was "committed to improving active travel opportunities".

A spokesperson said that "significant progress" had been made on most short-term schemes in the Belfast Cycling Network Delivery Plan.

"Prioritisation of future schemes on the Belfast Cycling Network will be determined with consideration to the emerging Eastern Transport Plan," they added.