100 Things to do in (and around) Bournemouth 25 – Hire a Beryl Bike

A bit of a ‘cheat’ post today as I’m not actually in Bournemouth – I’m off to run a 10k near Dorchester. So an extension of yesterday’s adventure by Beryl Bike.

The perfect way to get around Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is to hire a Beryl Bike, or if that’s too energetic for you, a Beryl Scooter. The bikes reside mostly in bays (marked by green painted rectangles) of which there are 340 across the three towns.

Once you have uploaded the Beryl App to your phone, you can locate your nearest bike (or scooter) and unlock it by scanning the code on the handlebars or entering the bike’s 6 digit code into your phone.

There are a number of different tariffs depending on how long you plan to cycle for. A day pass (24 hours) costs £12. Or you can buy a package of 100 minutes for £5, which can be used over an indefinite period of time. Alternatively, you can pay as you ride, which costs 5p per minute, but incurs a £1 unlock fee.

When you’ve finished, just lock the bike and confirm to the App that you have ended your journey. Theoretically, you can leave a bike anywhere, but if you park outside a bay, there is an additional fee of £5 (£10 if you park outside the zone – which extends across the whole of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole). Note that it isn’t permitted to cycle on the prom between 10 am and 6 pm in July and August, even though there are bike bays located there.

Similarly, with the scooters; a bundle costs a £1.50 unlock fee plus 5p per minute, while pay as you ride is a £1.50 unlock fee plus 10p per minute. The same out of bay/zone charges are applicable. The same regulations regarding using the prom in July and August also apply. The prom speed limit is 10 MPH and the scooters are programmed accordingly. Note that you need a driving licence to hire a Beryl Scooter.