Residents and visitors arriving at Beverley Railway Station can now complete the last leg of their journey on two wheels, thanks to a Euro-style bicycle hire scheme called Bike & Go.
The new Bike & Go Scheme will mean rail users can explore the historic town of Beverley using new cycle lanes and infrastructure implemented by East Riding of Yorkshire Council through the Local Transport Plan process. The scheme is also designed to cater for commuters who may want to avoid a long walk to the office or to meetings in Beverley. There are 10 hire bikes located next to the ticket office at Beverley Railway Station and usage will be monitored and more bikes supplied if demand is high.
After registering at www.bikeandgo.co.uk and paying an annual subscription of £10, users receive a smartcard which they can take to Beverley station ticket office to obtain a key giving access to a bike. Bikes can be hired for £3.80 for 24 hours with a maximum hire of 72 hours. Bikes must be returned to the station from where the hire was made during station ticket office opening hours. Each bike is fitted with a lock to enable users to keep the bikes secure, as well as luggage holders and pedal operated lights.
Councillor Chris Matthews, cabinet portfolio holder for infrastructure, highways and emergency planning, said: “The Bike & Go Scheme for Beverley is fantastic and helps promote a number of priorities important to the council, including supporting sustainable transport, improving the health and wellbeing or residents and visitors and allowing them to explore the exciting tourism offer of the town, which in turn support the local economy.
“The council’s transport policy team has a good track record in securing external funding and preparing bids for projects that improve the transport infrastructure of the East Riding and securing these 10 bikes is the latest success.”
The Bike & Go Scheme has been implemented by train operator Abellio at 50 stations across the north of England following a £1.65 million grant from the Department for Transport and match funding from Mersey Rail, Northern Rail and Greater Anglia. East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Transport Policy Team has been working closely with Abellio to secure funding to implement the scheme in Beverley.
Bike & Go is modelled on the OV Fiets system installed at stations in the Netherlands by Dutch state rail operator NS. Abellio is currently developing an app for smartphones to inform people how many bikes are available for hire at each station in real-time.
Further information on the scheme is available at www.bikeandgo.co.uk
