SILHILLIANS can get on a bike and pedal around the borough after a cycle hire scheme was launched in the borough.
The green and grey bikes have been placed at seven docking stations around the borough including Solihull town centre, Knowle and Widney Manor.
The pedal cycles have three gears to cope with hilly parts of the region and are fitted with high quality laser safety lights.
The cycle hire scheme has been launched by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to encourage more people to become active and healthy and offer a convenient and more environmentally-friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys.
The bikes can be hired using the Beryl Cycle Hire app, which includes Covid safety advice.
It costs £1 to unlock a bike and 5p per minute after that – this means a 20-minute cycle will cost £2 and an hour would be £4.
A contribution towards the set up costs of £5million have been provided from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund allocation to TfWM.
Running costs are being covered by rental income and commercial sponsorship.
The scheme is a success story for regional manufacturing, with almost all parts being made here in the West Midlands.
The bikes are manufactured in Stratford-upon-Avon by Pashley Cycles who also work with Serco to provide the bikes for London and Edinburgh.
Supporting technology will be provided by British micromobility operator Beryl who also work with Serco in London.
The on-street docks are being made by Universal Fabrications in Nuneaton in Warwickshire while the locking system is produced by Coventry based RDM Group and PHA Europe in West Bromwich.
The plastic mouldings for the bikes and docks are made in Telford by LVS.
For more information visit https://www.wmcyclehire.co.uk/
