West Midlands Cycle Hire is proving to be popular in getting the region’s residents and visitors on their bikes since its launch two years ago, with riders now having cycled a combined 850,000 miles – the equivalent of 30 times around the world. The Transport for West Midlands’ (TfWM) scheme launched in 2021 to encourage people to become active and healthy, and to offer a convenient and more environmentally friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys.
There are now 1,500 bikes and e-bikes available for hire from various locations across Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. The newest location to get a bike hire station is the Moseley area of Birmingham.
An average of 750 journeys are being cycled every day and riders have clocked up a collective 250,000 hours in the saddle over the past two years. Further analysis by TfWM of bike hire user data shows:
Most cycled A-to-B journeys:
- Birmingham – Smallbrook Queensway to Belgrave View, Bristol Road
- Coventry – Warwick Sports Hub to Warwick Interchange, University of Warwick
- Wolverhampton – Sainsburys to Upper Zoar Road
- Sutton Coldfield – Parade to Wyndley Leisure Centre
- Sandwell – St Michael's College to Carters Green
- Solihull – High Street to Malvern Park Car Park
- Walsall – St John's Church to Park Street
- Stourbridge – Crown Lane to Wollaston Road
Most cycled circular journeys:
- Birmingham – Canon Hill Park
- Coventry – Coventry Park and Ride for War Memorial Park
- Wolverhampton – West Park North
- Sutton Coldfield - Sutton Park
- Sandwell – Dartmouth Park
- Solihull – Malvern Park car park
- Walsall – the Arboretum
- Stourbridge – Wollaston Road
Over recent years, TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), has invested more than £50 million in a wide range of active travel schemes - the collective name for cycling and walking - from the £8.5 million Binley Road Cycleway in Coventry to smaller neighbourhood-based schemes through the Better Streets Community Fund.
Future funding awarded via the region’s £1.3 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) will see further investment on schemes that support active travel, ranking in the top five local authorities for delivering and promoting cycling, wheeling and walking schemes. It is one of just five authorities to secure a tier three rating from Active Travel England of its work on active travel, validated by the Department for Transport
West Midlands Cycle Hire is operated by Serco, the company that also runs London’s successful Santander Cycle Hire scheme. The bikes are made locally by the world-renowned Pashley, based in Stratford-upon-Avon. The docking stations and locks are also manufactured here in the West Midlands.
Bikes can be hired using the Beryl app – which will take over the running of Birmingham’s e-scooters in June. It costs £1 to unlock a pedal bike and £1.50 for an e-bike, and then 5p per minute and 10p per minute, respectively. Regular users can buy 100, 300, or 600-minute bundles upfront.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said: “It’s brilliant to see our cycle hire scheme going from strength to strength. It’s become a popular fixture on our streets with our bikes and e-bikes giving people new options to travel around our region, reducing congestion and delivering health benefits for local people too.”
West Midlands cycling and walking commissioner, Adam Tranter, said: “We want to make cycling an easy and accessible option for everyone, whether that’s for utility, transport or leisure purposes. As the scheme celebrates two years in operation, it’s clear there is a strong appetite among residents to get on the bikes – and if that continues at the current trajectory that’s going to be good for their health and wellbeing, and good for the environment too.”
