CYCLISTS have pedalled more than 90,000 miles across the region since the West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme launched one year ago.
And the 1,350 green and grey-branded pedal bikes and 150 green and purple electric bikes have been on more than 200,000 journeys since the initiative was launched in Wolverhampton last March.
The bikes have also been delivered onto the streets of Solihull, Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield and Walsall. The scheme, the largest in the UK outside London, was introduced by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) as a convenient and more environmentally-friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys and is a part of wider active travel plans for the region to achieve five per cent of journeys by bike by 2023.
The scheme will be a major part of transport plans as Birmingham hosts the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Organisations are now being invited to submit a tender application to become the official sponsor for the scheme.
West Midlands cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter said: “This scheme has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time.
“Its popularity amongst residents and visitors proves that people are interested in getting on their bikes, whether to get to work, to enjoy local parks or to use the bikes for short utility journeys in our towns and cities.
“The West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme is a gateway for people who haven’t cycled for a long time, or ever, to see what it’s like to travel around by bike.
“With high-quality infrastructure going live this year and ambitions to deliver more, we’re working hard to make it easier for people to choose cycling for short journeys.”
West Midlands Cycle Hire is operated by Serco under a five-year contract from TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority. The bikes, docking stations and locking mechanisms are all manufactured in the region, with the bikes made by Stratford-upon-Avon based company Pashley.
