Shared sustainable transport provider Beryl has today released its fourth annual Rider Report, a survey of thousands of riders used to identify behaviours, motivations, impacts and barriers...
The report surveyed over 3000 people in September 2023 that had signed up to use Beryl and is packed full of interesting findings.
One of the standout findings from the Watford data this year is the increasing importance of convenience and speed when deciding to sign up, which have increased by 10% and 16% respectively compared to 2022.
Beryl has had a positive impact on rider behaviour in Watford, with 62% of riders cycling more often or much more often since joining Beryl, 33% reducing their use of cars and 38% reducing their use of taxis. 49% of riders in Watford have used a Beryl vehicle to replace a car, van, motorcycle or taxi journey (either as a driver or a passenger)
Encouragingly all riders with a disability that were surveyed in Watford say Beryl has allowed them to make trips that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to make.
Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “It has been a really positive year for Beryl and Watford Council’s bike and e-bike share scheme, which has expanded further and proved to be even more popular than last year.
“One of the scheme’s great strengths is its multimodality and we can see from the report that offering people two modes is having a really positive impact on rider behaviour, getting more people out of their cars and adopting more sustainable transport habits.
“We work really hard to ensure our services are accessible to as wide a range of people as possible, so it's also really encouraging to see how much our services have benefitted users with a disability.
“Ultimately, a successful operator is one that not only listens to its riders, but also uses their feedback to shape future delivery and improvement. I promise you that Beryl will continue to do this into 2024 and beyond.”
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Since we introduced the Beryl Bike scheme just over three years ago, it’s gone from strength to strength. I am really pleased to see the increase in people riding the bikes over the last year. In addition to the health benefits to individual riders, this has helped Watford become greener, introducing less pollution and less congestion in the town centre.
“This annual survey from Beryl, and the information we receive from riders like you, is key to improving the service we offer. Your feedback will make sure that the Beryl Bike scheme remains a success for many years to come.”
Riders across Watford continue to embrace multiple modes, with 81% riding both bikes and e-bikes, compared to 12% that just ride bikes and 6% that just ride e-bikes.
Beryl is also having a positive impact on lapsed cyclists in the borough, with 13% of riders returning to cycling after a short break (1-5 years) and 32% returning after a break of more than 5 years.
Riders were also surveyed across other Beryl-operated schemes in Hereford, BCP, Norwich, Southampton, Portsmouth, Cornwall, Plymouth, the Isle of Wight, along with Greater Manchester.
The survey was sent to riders via email and within the Beryl app. Of those who responded across Watford, 93% had signed up and taken at least one ride while 7% had signed up but not yet taken a ride.
The survey is undertaken annually to allow Beryl to understand riders’ motivations, as well as their behaviour before, during and after riding our vehicles.
You can download the full report here.
