Cyclists in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are now able to make use of e-bikes with a total of 20 added to the Beryl scheme.

This will make BCP only the second area in the country, after Norwich, to offer three forms of sustainable transport (e-scooters, push bikes and e-bikes) under the same scheme.

One of the main benefits of using an e-bike is that electric assistance kicks in once the rider begins to pedal. This extra power can open up cities, enabling riders to tackle hills and undertake longer journeys. It is also useful for commuting, helping to reduce physical exertion and allowing workers to arrive at work clean and ready to go.

Beryl CEO and co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “By boosting people’s options and making our scheme even more accessible, we can hopefully continue to get more people out of the car and onto two wheels.

“E-bikes can help us break down even more barriers to sustainable travel and that can only be a positive thing as we work with BCP Council to help reduce congestion, improve public health and boost air quality.

“We are launching a small initial fleet this week, but we hope through working with the council, that we can ramp those numbers up if the e-bikes prove to be popular.

“So with the warm weather, long days and sky-high petrol prices, now is the perfect time to saddle up and give e-bikes a try.”

Cllr Mike Greene, BCP Council’s portfolio holder for transport and sustainability said: “Beryl bikes and e-scooters are proving to be an incredibly popular and efficient way of getting around locally and I’m delighted that even more people will be able to enjoy travelling sustainably and actively using these brand new e-bikes.

“They offer a range of benefits including enabling people with disabilities to enjoy cycling, and helping people ride further and with less physical exertion.”

You can hire a Beryl e-bike through the Beryl app, available for free download on the App Store for iOS, and the Google Play Store for Android users.