Fifty new e-bikes join Hereford's Beryl scheme this summer, taking the fleet to 200 bikes across more than 70 bays, with 683,000 rides logged since 2019.

Fifty new electric bikes have joined Hereford’s Beryl Bikes fleet this summer, Herefordshire Council announced on 10 August, taking the shared scheme to 200 pedal and electric bikes across the city. (Herefordshire Council, 10 August 2026)

The scheme has grown a long way from its July 2019 launch, when Herefordshire Council and Beryl put 70 bikes into 39 marked bays. There are now more than 70 bay locations across Hereford, which the council says puts around 95 per cent of residents within a five minute walk of one. More than 29,000 people have registered, clocking up almost 683,000 journeys and more than 1.7 million kilometres between them. (Herefordshire Council, 10 August 2026)

Chart showing Hereford's Beryl scheme growing from 70 bikes and 39 bays in July 2019 to 200 bikes and more than 70 bays in August 2026, with 683,000 journeys, 1.7 million kilometres and 29,000 registered users
Graphic by Hereford Today

One in four rides replaces a car trip

The council says rider feedback shows around one in four Beryl journeys replaces a trip that would otherwise have been made by car, taxi or motorbike. Councillor Philip Price, Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure, called the arrival of more e-bikes “perfect timing for the summer months, making it even easier for people to choose cycling for everyday journeys”.

Beryl’s chief executive Philip Ellis said the company was “very proud of the success of the Hereford scheme”, adding that it “was launched at a time when success of bike share services was not guaranteed and was completely untested in cities the size of Hereford” and calling it “a genuine case study in how to deliver micromobility services in smaller towns and cities”. (Herefordshire Council, 10 August 2026)

The bikes have a step through frame, and each carries Beryl’s Laserlight, which projects a bicycle symbol onto the road ahead to make the rider more visible in traffic.

What it means for you

If you have never tried one, the bikes are hired through the Beryl app, which shows the nearest available bike and bay and takes payment; the new e-bikes give an assisted push that flattens out the hills and makes longer trips less of an effort. The council links to bay locations and scheme details at herefordshire.gov.uk/berylbikes, and pricing is on Beryl’s Hereford page.

If you are driving into the city over the summer, the timing is deliberate: the school holidays are the busiest season for short trips, and a bike from a bay avoids the hunt for a parking space altogether. Our Hereford roadworks and travel page tracks what is dug up or closed before you set off, and if you are planning a day out by bike, our guide to things to do in Hereford has riverside and city centre ideas.