E-bike hire scheme withdrawn due to low demand

Dorset Council said not enough people were renting the bikes

An e-bike hire scheme has been withdrawn half a year after it was launched.

Bikes and bays will be removed from Wimborne, Colehill, West Parley, West Moors and Ferndown areas by the end of February.

Dorset Council said not enough people were renting the bikes, with many choosing to ride their own bikes instead.

The company runs other cycle hire schemes, in which users pick up e-bikes and drop them off at Beryl bays, including in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Operator Beryl and Dorset Council made 121 e-bikes available across Dorchester, Weymouth and the Isle of Portland last summer.

Since launching in August 2024, Beryl says the scheme has seen nearly 15,000 journeys and saved nearly two tonnes of carbon emissions.

The southeast Dorset scheme is funded through Transforming Cities Fund programme.

Jon Andrews, cabinet member for place services, said: "Dorset Council has been informed by Beryl that they intend to close the east Dorset section of their bike hire service at the end of February.

"This is a commercial decision, as the number of people renting bikes isn't enough to maintain the service without additional funding.

"Evidence suggests that, in this particular area, many people are riding their own bikes and therefore wouldn't choose to rent one, with around 500 people a day using the new cycleways in favourable conditions.

"We are currently exploring options to keep the service in some form, including looking at whether local businesses are interested in subsidising a similar local scheme.

"We will also continue to work with Beryl on their well-received Dorchester, Weymouth, and Portland bike-hire scheme."

He said the authority was committed to developing "active travel options" in the Ferndown, West Parley, Colehill, and Wimborne area, with sustainable travel remaining a "top priority" because of the climate crisis.

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: "We're constantly reviewing and assessing our schemes alongside our local authority partners, to ensure they continue to be delivered as safely and effectively as possible.

"We will now focus on ensuring our e-bike share scheme in Dorchester, Weymouth and Portland builds on its initial success and continues to encourage people across the region to swap four wheels for two."