Everything you need to know about Manchester’s new Burnham Bikes

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’ have now rolled out their first phase.

The new bikes form part of a wider ‘Bee Network’ which unites buses, trams, cycling and walking, and aims to encourage locals to leave their cars at home.

Where are the bikes located? 

After a trial period saw 30 of the bikes docked near the University of Salford, a further 250 have been added to the fleet. These can now also be found around in additional locations at Media City and along Oxford Road.

These areas have been chosen based on their large resident population, numbers of visitors, proximity to attractions and popularity of cycling among demographics in the vicinity.

Progress will be closely monitored, and all being well a further 1,500 bikes, a combination of pedal and e-bikes are planned to arrive by mid-2022.

What app do I need to download?

The bikes are operated by Beryl and you’ll need their app to begin your ride.

Apple users can download here.

Android users can download here.

How much do they cost?

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.”

Learning from Mobike

This, of course, isn’t the first cycle scheme of its kind to arrive in Manchester. The ill-fated Mobikes were scrapped just as quick as they arrived in 2018, following widespread vandalism.

Burnham insists that won’t be the case this time round. Speaking at COP26, he said:”The biggest difference of all is we own this, these bikes belong to Greater Manchester,

“They are the Bee Bikes – they’re your bikes.

“I’d say to people, look, let’s … all of us look after them because this is about the city’s infrastructure, and it’s about helping everybody get around more cheaply.