City bike scheme bays may be cut by half

A bike-share scheme in Worcester could be cut back by 50% after it proved less popular than expected.

The Beryl Bike scheme was launched by Worcester City Council in June 2024 with 52 Beryl cycle bays dotted around the city.

But council papers detail how about 80% of the scheme's income has been generated by 50% of the bays. Therefore, Beryl plans to remove all but the most productive 26 bays.

It has also suggested reducing the number of e-bikes from 175 to 125, and removing pedal bikes from the scheme completely. The plans will be discussed the council's policy and resources committee later on Tuesday.

Councillor Alex Mace, co-leader of the Green group, said: "It is normal and expected that schemes like this are reviewed and revised as we learn what works and what doesn't.

"I am very disappointed that we are seeing such a big reduction in the scale of the scheme.

"What is clear is that areas of the city that are reachable by cycling infrastructure get the highest use, and if we want this scheme to be successful long term, then significant investment needs to be made in cycling infrastructure in Worcester."

Council agenda papers said Beryl had experienced operational difficulties during March and April which arose from the loss of a local depot and staff.

"Officers have been working to support Beryl in addressing these and developing a remediation plan to ensure satisfactory future delivery of the scheme," they said.

"Beryl have recently recruited a locally based operative and implemented new bike maintenance arrangements."

Council figures also showed the loss of bikes due to vandalism and theft had reduced their availability by about 10%.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has approached Beryl Bikes for comment.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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