Beryl Bikes has announced a significant change in its service area in Plymouth, as it removes 39 bike bays out of more than 100 across the city. The decision, made in agreement with Plymouth City Council, is aimed at focusing on high-demand areas such as the city centre, Derriford, St Budeaux, and other popular locations, while removing bike bays in areas like Honicknowle.

While the number of e-bikes in the scheme will remain at 450, the bikes will now be concentrated in the most heavily used areas, with some docking stations outside these areas being removed. Beryl Bikes notified users of the change on their app on April 8, stating that the consolidation of the service area will help improve bike availability and operational efficiency.

In a message to users, Beryl Bikes said, 'We’re making some adjustments to improve the Beryl service in Plymouth. From April 9, we’ll be consolidating the service area, meaning some bays outside this area will no longer be available. A more streamlined southern service area with better availability in the city, Derriford, and St Budeaux.' The company emphasized that the goal is to provide a reliable and quality service in the busiest parts of the scheme.

The Beryl Bikes scheme, launched in 2023 as part of the Connect Plymouth initiative, has been popular in certain areas, such as the city centre and south-west Plymouth, where short, convenient journeys are needed. Despite challenges, including a reported loss of over £4m the previous year, the scheme has seen over 27,773 users and more than 213,000 journeys.

Cllr Mark Coker, cabinet member for transport, stated, 'This was a business decision made by Beryl based purely on the amount of use e-bikes have in various areas. While the bikes are popular in some parts of Plymouth, they are not being used as much in others, so concentrating them in high-demand areas makes sense.'