From
the BBC» :
Belfast Bikes see drop in rentals after price hike
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The hire scheme, which includes a fleet of pedal and e-bikes, was launched in September
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.
(BBC article continues)
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