Beryl powers West Midlands Cycle Hire

A closed trial launched in February featuring five docking stations and 25 bikes in and around the town centre, allowing a group of selected volunteers to road test the bikes, docks, locks and Beryl’s micromobility tech platform. We’re now gearing up to launch to the public again in Sutton Coldfield plus Wolverhampton from early March. 

We were selected as the scheme’s tech partner because of our experience of providing high-quality end-to-end micromobility services. The partnership is the second of this kind for Beryl. In 2020 London’s Santander Cycles were the first to be fitted with our high precision tech platform featuring GPS, accelerometers, light and temperature sensors connected to the Beryl cloud platform. Transport for London (TfL) has been able to see for the first time in 21 years where their bicycles are going and how their riders make use of their scheme. Before this, TfL could only track when a bike had left or returned to a docking station but now, they can see the journey their bikes are taking and are using the data to improve the scheme.

Our micromobility platform provides everything from the rider app to the on-bike tech. West Midlands bikes feature our signature NFC unlock pad to enable a quick and easy unlock via a smartphone. As well as our rear burner light and Laserlight, a front light that projects a laser bicycle on the ground ahead proven to improve riders’ visibility by up to 32%. The Beryl smart unit is always online, always connected, ready to be ridden by our users and available to share key data with authorities. 

We’ve equipped our partners with everything they need to operate a best-in-class bikeshare scheme, including real-time tracking, sophisticated mapping and alerts to our partner operators on the use of their cycles. 

Phillip Ellis, Beryl CEO, said: “Cities and operators now rightly require smart bike technology to deliver high-quality bikeshare services. Our tech provides a better understanding of rider behaviour by having visibility of each bike and its use. With this data, cities can make informed decisions on the right infrastructure, distribution and interventions necessary for a safe and smoothly operating micromobility service.”

The Beryl technology platform used by Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) and TfL has been designed with security and privacy at its core, meaning operators can view detailed insights from their fleet without accessing any personal or user data. 

About West Midlands Cycle Hire 

TfWM has launched the scheme to encourage more people to become active and healthy and offer a convenient and more environmentally-friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys.  

Serco runs the scheme, Pashley makes the bikes, and we provide the technology behind the scheme, including the rider app. 

There will be a phased launch of the scheme into Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull, Stourbridge, Walsall - with Sutton Coldfield and Wolverhampton launching first this 8th of March. 

To find out more about the West Midlands Cycle Hire in your area, and register for updates, visit the website at https://www.wmcyclehire.co.uk.