British bicycle manufacturer Brompton is celebrating a bumper year having seen a 119% increase in bike hires and a 232% increase in new joiners compared to 2021.
It has also had a 52% increase in app downloads and a 112% increase in registration completions.
Nine new docks have been installed to date in this financial year, with a further six to be introduced by April 2023. Brompton’s network of hire bikes can now be found in locations from London all the way to Inverness in Scotland.
Much of the success this year has been driven by the introduction in July of the company’s streamlined process for hiring a bike. Previously hiring a bike worked on a membership model, with two options available – Frequent or Leisure – which was based on perceived usage of the service. A Frequent membership was £20 and resulted in a cheaper £5 daily hire fee, while Leisure memberships were £10 and had a £10 daily hire fee.
Brompton removed this structure in favour of a flat £5 a day charge with no joining fees to keep things simple and appeal to as many customers as possible.
Julian Scriven, Managing Director of Brompton Bike Hire, told Zag Daily: “This year, we simplified our offer by removing membership costs and offering a flat £5 a day fee. This has helped to deliver a significant increase in both hire and registration, as we continue to expand our bikes across the UK.
“Continued demand for flexible and convenient access to hire bikes has also helped to drive that demand, as people seek sustainable forms of transport.”
In 2023, Brompton plans to introduce electric bikes to the scheme, with a pilot in London already underway.
