Data shows that a quarter of the city's Bee Bikes have gone missing and not been found since the launch of the scheme last November.
Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) data obtained by the Manchester Evening News shows that of the 201 Bee Bikes active in Greater Manchester up to 23 June, 58 have gone missing and have not been retrieved. This is equivalent to just over a quarter of the bikes in operation.
Figures also show that there have been 306 incidents of damaged and subsequently repaired bikes since the start of the scheme - this is equivalent to each bike being damaged and repaired 1.5 times.
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Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said they are "generally very pleased" with how the cycle hire scheme, which allows people to rent out a bike or e-bike for a small charge per minute. However, they did acknowledge that a "small minority" choose to "abuse the system", and said they are looking to reduce bike numbers in areas with high rates of anti-social behaviour.
The highest numbers of damaged bikes were in the Salford area - a patch of the scheme that is relatively small compared to the Oxford Road site. In June '22 alone, there were 42 damaged bikes in this vicinity, compared to 38 on Oxford Road and just 5 in Media City.
The Bee Bikes scheme was introduced as part of mayor Andy Burnham's 'Bee Network', which aims to see all transport in Greater Manchester connected under the same ownership.
It came after Mobike, a privately owned bike-hire scheme, pulled out of Greater Manchester in 2018 following high levels of theft and vandalism. The scheme is managed and funded by TfGM, on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and operated by Beryl, who also run similar schemes in London, Watford, and Bournemouth.
Iain Baxter, Cycle Hire Manager at TfGM, said: “Since the scheme launched in November 2021 there have been over 90,000 rides taken, with over 240,000kms collectively ridden, and almost 23,000 users are now registered on the scheme. It’s made a real positive difference for many people and we are generally very pleased with how it has been received.
“The vast proportion of people in Greater Manchester have welcomed the scheme and are making good use of the bikes, but it is of course disappointing that a small minority choose to abuse the system. The majority of incidents reported involve minor damage, such as broken mudguards, which does not require significant repair. All damaged bikes are quickly repaired and returned into service ready for the public to use.
“Our on-street team continuously monitor how bikes are being used and will look to reduce the number of bikes available in certain areas where there are recurrent issues with anti-social behaviour. As a last resort, this includes removing stations and bikes completely from areas where the scheme is seeing high levels of vandalism.
“We are also working alongside multiple partners to tackle anti-social behaviour incidents related to the cycle hire scheme. It is unfortunate that a number of bikes have gone missing in some areas, and we are working closely with Greater Manchester Police on an ongoing basis to locate and recover every bike that is lost.
“More generally, we have also introduced an additional lock to the bikes to add a further security feature across the fleet and, although it is too early to conclude, we have seen a drop in the number of incidents.
“Looking ahead we are confident the scheme will continue to offer a cost-effective and accessible transport option to many thousands of people each week. We are looking forward to even more people having access to the scheme as it expands from August 2022, when it will play an integral role in the Bee Network – GM’s vision for an integrated transport system.”
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