‘Burnham Bikes’ to launch in Manchester this week

As part of plans for Manchester to become the first city-region to deliver a carbon neutral transport network, the much talked-about ‘Burnham Bikes’ will be available to the public from Thu 18 Nov.

In total, 250 bikes are expected to be rolled out around the University of Salford, Media City and along Oxford Road. The fleet of bikes will then expand across Manchester, Salford and Trafford.

As the scheme grows, there are plans to introduce a series of docking stations throughout the city centre, with the hopes that this will prevent the vandalisation that spelt an early end to the Mobike scheme. Docking stations will typically be between 300-500m apart, ensuring that up to 198,000 residents are never more than a five-minute walk from a Bee Network Bike.

These new Bee Network bikes, operated by micromobility company Beryl, will be available to hire via a mobile app, with users being charged until they are returned to a docking station.

Progress of the latest scheme will be closely monitored, with the hope of being fully operational by June 2022.

Under the initial proposed pricing structure, pedal bikes will cost 50p to unlock and 5p per minute to use, while e-bikes will cost £1 to unlock and 10p per minute to use. This means that a 20 minute journey on a pedal bike, once unlocked, will cost £1.50.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “We’ve worked hard with our supplier to ensure the GM cycle hire scheme is affordable and accessible for residents to use. In fact, we have reduced the tariffs, making our pedal bikes brilliant value when compared to similar schemes in the country.

“The first Bee Network Bikes, with our signature Bee emblazoned on the side, are going on the ground later this year and we are very excited about our residents giving them a try.”