Beryl bikes and bays now available alongside bus information

Beryl bikes and bay locations will now be available on the websites of all Bournemouth and Poole local bus companies Morebus, Unibus and Yellow Buses.

Yellow Buses also sees the locations made available in its smartphone app.

The project, endorsed by BCP Councillors Andy Hadley (transport portfolio holder) and Dr Felicity Rice (environment portfolio holder), is an important step in making it easier for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole residents to easily understand the travel options available to them that don’t require a car. 

Hadley said: “As a major urban area we know we have huge congestion challenges, and limited space to build new capacity. We want to make alternative travel options more integrated and in doing so, set an example of what collaboration can achieve. If we are to address our climate emergency we must work together to make it easy to leave the car at home, especially for shorter journeys.”

The project includes several organisations working together towards a more sustainable transport network in the South East Dorset city region; BCP Council, Passenger, Beryl, Morebus (part of the Go-Ahead Group) and Yellow Buses.

When people travel more actively—using the bus, a bike or simply walking—there is a positive impact on their health and wellbeing. With increasing awareness of climate change, more people are wanting to reduce their impact on the environment. Travelling by car is responsible for 60% of all transport-related emissions, so alternatives to the car can have a huge impact on the quality of the air we breathe and free up space for those who really need to drive.

Andrew Wickham, managing director at Go South Coast, which operates both Morebus and Unibus, added: “By working together with the other public transport operators, including Beryl, we can encourage more residents out of their cars.”

Beryl, which launched in Bournemouth and Poole in June 2019, has made the availability of its bikes accessible through a secure API, enabling organisations like Passenger to share live locations of the available Beryl bikes and bays. Passenger has enriched the More Bus and Yellow Bus applications with this data.

Philip Ellis, Beryl co-founder and CEO, said: “By joining up travel options we’re making sustainable travel an easier choice. Working with the local bus companies means that travelling by bike and bus, as part of the same journey, will become a realistic travel option for even more people.”

Passenger CEO Tom Quay added: “The project has given the partners a great opportunity to work closely together. With everyone at the same table we’ve been able to deliver a project quickly that has a positive impact on lots of people locally.”