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Date: 22 September 2026
Category: Belfast Bikes
Belfast residents and visitors are being urged to leave the car at home and choose active, sustainable travel this World Car-Free Day, as Belfast Bikes celebrates a record-breaking year, following the introduction of electric bikes to its fleet.
New figures from Belfast City Council, who manage the scheme, show that Belfast Bikes users made more than 170,000 journeys over the past 12 months, following the appointment of a new operator, Beryl, in September 2025.
Bolstered by the addition of 100 state-of-the-art e-bikes and 300 new pedal bikes, users have covered more than 440,000 kilometres in the past year, saving an estimated 17 tonnes of carbon emissions, and completing 52,000 hours of physical activity.
August 2026 was also the busiest month on record for the fleet, sponsored by Frank & Honest Coffee, with 29,211 journeys made across the network, highlighting the growing demand for affordable, accessible and sustainable transport options across the city.
April, May and June also saw their busiest months in five years, with 86% of all registered users using the scheme regularly.
Now, on World Car-Free Day today, Tuesday 22 September, operators Beryl are inviting more commuters, students and tourists to swap four wheels for two, with 25 per cent off student bundles for those returning to university this month and a new ‘group rides’ feature for friends and family use.
Just download the Beryl app to get started.
Phil Ellis, CEO with Beryl, said: "World Car-Free Day is the perfect opportunity to think differently about how we move around the city and the impact our travel choices have on our health, our environment and congestion on our roads.
“The success of Belfast Bikes over the past year demonstrates that, when people are given a reliable, affordable and accessible alternative, they are willing to make more sustainable travel choices, and their positive contribution really does make a difference to our city.
“We’re proud to work with the council to offer the city’s only publicly supported bike sharing scheme, providing a dependable and accessible way to travel around the city from our dedicated network of 60 docking stations, where you can securely stow each bike after use to help keep streets free from obstructions, including our latest docks at Grand Central Station and Loftlines in the Titanic Quarter.
“Our introduction of pay-as-you-go pricing, which includes a small unlock fee and a straightforward per-minute charge which reduces the more you use the bikes, has also proven popular with users, with journeys starting from just 7p per minute for pedal bikes and 14p per minute for e-bikes, while our minute packages are valid from 30 days through to a whole year.
“This makes Belfast Bikes the best value for money option for those commuting to work, studying, meeting friends or simply exploring Belfast.”
For more information on Belfast Bikes, including tariffs, membership packages and docking station locations, visit belfastbikes.co.uk or follow @belfastbikes on Instagram and @belfastbikescheme on Facebook.