'˜Boris bike' scheme to launch in Brighton this summer

The much-anticipated ‘Boris bike’ scheme - so-called after the former Mayor of London - will see 430 communal bikes at 50 docking stations across the city.

Brighton and Hove City Council has awarded a three-year contract to run the city’s new bike share scheme to UK-owned operator Hourbike.

The company operates sharing schemes in other cities including Liverpool, Oxford and Reading.

The scheme is expected to bring new revenue to the council of between £20,000 and £25,000 a year, according to Hourbike.

Hire costs will start from £2 per trip or £8 per day with users having the option to pay as they go on a 3p per minute tariff (minimum £2 charge) or purchase an annual membership at £72, which includes 30 minutes free use every day.

Popular sites including the seafront and Brighton Station have been suggested as potential hubs with the scheme also operating along the A27 corridor, heading out to the university campus sites at Falmer.

Gill Mitchell, lead member for environment and sustainability at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “This is an exciting scheme that should work well for the city. The aim is to provide a flexible service that will give more choice to those who live, work or visit the city – providing an opportunity to cycle, even if you don’t own a bike or can’t bring one with you.”

Tim Caswell, managing director of Hourbike Ltd, said: “We’re thrilled to have been selected to deliver a new bike sharing scheme for Brighton and Hove. We know the number of people travelling around the city by bike is increasing so we’re looking forward to helping build on this with an additional cost-effective travel option.”

The city council said infrastructure and start-up costs for the bikeshare scheme stand at £1.45 million, with £1.16 million from the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) ,and a further £290,000 matchfunding from the council’s Local Transport Plan. Once operational, HourBike will be responsible for covering all other costs.

For more information on the scheme, click here