I tried Stevenage’s new Beryl bikes – here’s how it went

But how good are the bikes, and will they persuade people to use them over cars and buses?

Well, I took a ride on one myself to see how the scheme works.

First up, I had to download the Beryl app on my phone and add a payment method. This only took a few minutes but it’s worth bearing in mind that without the app, you can’t get a bike – so ideally you’d have this sorted before heading out for your first trip. 

Once you’ve found the nearest Beryl bicycle bay with the app’s map, you simply pick a bike and scan a QR code on its frame to unlock it. It takes about ten seconds if that, and then the clock’s ticking, and you can ride off (after remembering to flip the stand-up).

You can ride off pretty speedily, too, because these bicycles are all electric. No extra effort is needed to get it working – you just pedal and it kicks in immediately.

It makes the entire process of riding pain-free, especially when you’re confronted with a steep incline like the one behind the police station. It comes in handy every time you’re ascending after using an underpass too.

And here's the bay where I dropped my bike off, at the end of the footbridge between the town centre and the Old Town (Image: Christopher Day, LDRS)Once you’re done, you just park the bike in another marked bay and tap a button on the app to say you’ve stopped using it.

The entire process was pleasingly pain-free – and cheap, too. My 13-minute ride came in at £3.34 – more expensive than a single bus ticket at the moment, yes, but significantly more convenient without the waiting around, and more pleasant, too. For those who are able to cycle, this is a great alternative.

Beryl Bike app (Image: Christopher Day, LDRS) Is it perfect though? Well, not quite. You’re reliant on being near a marked area to pick up and drop off your bike.

For me, that meant almost a ten minute walk to get to the nearest one before I could get going. Some of the bays are also a little way from the segregated cycle paths, which may make it harder to persuade non-cyclists to pick up the bikes.

The scheme’s apparent popularity – I saw several people out riding the bikes during my short trip – also poses an issue at times, with some bays out of bikes when I began my ride. Hopefully, more bikes can be added in future to make that a smaller problem.

Overall, though, these are minor gripes and, crucially, everything worked smoothly during my ride. There weren’t any issues with the app, or the bike itself, or with dropping it off after I’d finished – and I’d happily use it again.

At Stevenage Borough Council, the scheme – described as “really good” by mayor Cllr Jim Brown – was introduced by Cllr Lloyd Briscoe, cabinet member for economy, skills and transport.

During this week’s council meeting, he said the 45 bays across Stevenage had been chosen “based on the premise of up to 80 per cent of the town’s population being just five minutes walk or less away from a bay”.

He continued: “Feedback I have received since the launch has been positive and in the main very constructive.

“The bikes are being used frequently – certainly on the cycle tracks near Gunnels Wood Road where I work – and it’s gratifying and encouraging to see.

“Beryl has committed to meet the council on a monthly basis and to furnish us with data such as journeys made, miles attained, heat maps indicating high density usage, and other vital statistics relevant to the needs of our town. I look forward to sharing that data with members in due course.”