Bike share: rent pedal and e-bikes in Southampton

The Breeze app will allow you to plan, book and pay for your journey using Beryl Bikes by Breeze.

You can also use the Beryl app.

Both apps are available for free download on Google Play and the App Store

A bike share scheme allows you to hire a pedal bike or an e-bike without the need to own and store a bike yourself.

This means you have another greener way to travel across the city, so you're helping to tackle the climate emergency, while improving your health and reducing the number of cars on the road.

• Only ride on roads, cycle paths and shared-use paths
• Never ride on pavements that are only for walking
• Always wear a helmet if you can for your safety
• Follow the highway code
• Never drink and ride
• Never ride with more than one person on the bike or e-bike
• Wear reflective clothing if cycling at night, or in conditions where other road users may struggle to see you

Beryl Bikes by Breeze can be ridden anywhere it is legal to ride a normal pedal cycle. They are intended to operate and remain within a large, designated bike zone agreed with the local council. The limits of the zone are clearly marked in the apps and a map is also available on Beryl’s website.

In Southampton we started with a smaller area to trial the bikes, but this area is being expanded to cover the whole city in 2023.

If you hire a bike within the bike zone, you can cross the zone boundaries with no penalties as long as you finish your ride and lock the bike back in the zone.

If you ride outside the zone and lock a bike there, a £25 "Out of zone" charge will be added at the end of your ride. You'll still be able to unlock the bike and ride back into the zone but be aware you'll be charged the "Out of zone" fee every time you lock the bike outside the zone. This charge applies even if you just lock the bike for a very short time, e.g. to nip into a shop.

If you leave the bike outside the zone for more than 24 hours, you’ll be charged an additional £80 penalty fee to cover the cost of recovering the bike and returning it to the zone of operation.

Beryl will never automatically lock the bike remotely when you cross the zone boundaries as this would be dangerous for riders.

Beryl Bikes by Breeze need to be docked in a designated Beryl parking bay. These are in key locations where you can start and end a ride. To help us maintain an organised bike share scheme, you will be charged a £10 “Out of Bay” fee if you do not end your ride at a Beryl bay.

Finding Beryl Bikes by Breeze is easy. When you open the Breeze or Beryl app, you'll see the map of your immediate location and nearby bikes. You'll see two different symbols to indicate a bike and an e-bike.

To unlock Beryl Bikes by Breeze, simply point the top of your smartphone near the centre of the unlock pad, which is in the middle of the handlebars. Hold it there until the bike unlocks.

You can also unlock by inputting the six-digit ID number that can be found on the unlock pad into the Breeze or Beryl app.

Pedal bike riders can Pay-As-You-Ride at a cost of £1 to unlock + 8p per minute. You can also use the Beryl app to buy minute bundles.

E-bike riders can Pay-As-You-Ride at a cost of £1 to unlock and 16p per minute.  You can also use the Beryl app to buy minute bundles.

On the Breeze app you can report issues and get in touch with transport operators using the ‘Support’ section of your Breeze Account.

To contact Beryl, you can:

1. Send an email to support@beryl.cc
2. Use in-app chat
3. Use website chat
4. Give Beryl a call on 020 3003 5044 from 7am - 9pm Monday-Sunday.

The bikes are equipped with physical locks that can withstand vandalism. Beryl use digital processes that alert them to vandalism and track the bikes, along with their on-street operations.

Beryl is responsible for regularly checking and maintaining the bikes and e-bikes to make sure riders have a safe and enjoyable ride. Beryl employs a team of field operatives, workshop and field mechanics to support this work.

Beryl Bikes by Breeze have smart tracking that give Beryl visibility of all the bikes and their locations. Beryl will collect and move bikes and e-bikes to meet rider demand.

• Front basket with carrying capacity of 10kg
• Internal brakes for safe and reliable braking
• Bell
• Wide, puncture resistant tyres
• Laserlight which projects a safety light ahead of the bike, warning pedestrians, vehicles and other road users when a bike is approaching
• Rear lights and safety reflectors
• Brake lights
• Individually identifiable numbers on the frame 
• Kickstand
• Chain cover
• Rear rack (e-bike only) 
• Mud guard (e-bike only)

Public Liability Insurance is included in the prices charged for the scheme. More detail can be found in the service terms and conditions.

Working with Beryl and Solent Transport, we have reviewed available space where there is expected to be demand for the service.

Each public highway location is then consulted on before approval is granted.

Solent Transport are also working with private landowners to install parking at key locations.

Make sure the lock is free to open and is not obstructed by the spokes of the wheel.

If the lock is free to open but is still having issues, try manually pulling up the lock bolt or giving it a wiggle to aid the lock in opening. Try this before and during the unlocking process when you hear the lock mechanism whirring.

In the future, Beryl and Solent Transport plan to add cargo bikes and bikes specially adapted for people with mobility issues. This will allow a wider variety of people to use the bikes, including families and people with disabilities. You could even use one to do the big shop!

The minimum age for hiring and riding a bike is 16. This is for insurance purposes.   

Under 16s are strictly prohibited, and someone 16 or over must not unlock a bike for someone under the age of 16.