Author: Phil Ellis, CEO of Beryl
For the best part of two decades, income and productivity growth have been very slow in the UK.
To tackle this, the incumbent Labour government will set out their plans in the Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy document, set to launch this spring.
The strategy will focus on tackling barriers to growth in our highest potential growth-driving sectors and places. This will look to create the right conditions for increased investment, high-quality jobs and ensuring tangible impact in communities right across the UK.
The strategy’s goal is to capture a greater share of internationally mobile investment in strategic sectors and spur domestic businesses to boost their investment and scale up their growth – an essential step in achieving sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth.
I’d like to outline how investment in shared sustainable transport, along with the delivery of correct legislation, would play a crucial role in this.
First mile, last mile connectivity
Our bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters are ideal for connecting people with mass transit public transport systems like buses, trams and trains that connect people to jobs and education.
Shared transport not only extends the reach and efficiency of these systems, but it also helps people bridge the proximity gap which is one of the biggest barriers to their use.
The bespoke approach we adopt to planning our schemes, working closely with the towns and cities that they serve, ensures that they are properly integrated with and complementary to existing local transport structures.
As a result, we are seeing more people than ever before using our services for commuting and part-commuting. It’s actually the number one reason for using Beryl, according to our latest Rider Report survey. We also know that in the last year, 62% of our riders replaced a car, van, taxi or motorbike trip with a Beryl trip.
“I use beryl e-bikes in Brighton as part of a commute to London via train,” one of our riders told us. “There are bike stands in convenient spots including right by my flat and at the train stations. To cycle to the station rather than walk shaves off about 25-30 minutes a day from my commute which makes it totally worth it.”
By enabling this on a much grander scale, we are surely greasing the wheels of UK growth and economic development by efficiently connecting employees to their workplace.
Regional development and local devolution
Micromobility schemes are inherently locally managed and delivered. They provide an opportunity for local authorities to affordably deliver an element of their local transport at a fraction of the cost and risk of other devolved transport systems.
In Greater Manchester, the Starling Bank Bikes were the first fully branded part of the Bee Network. That system, which comprises bus, bikes, trams and, by 2028, rail as part of a joined-up network under local control, is becoming the test case for how cities outside of London can take ownership over their local transport delivery.
Legalisation of e-scooters will enable rapid expansion
As the UK’s biggest shared transport provider, we run schemes in partnership with some of the country’s biggest authorities and employ over 130 people. We have enormous potential to scale up our operations, but we are being held back by legislative restrictions.
Electric transport is more popular than ever and generating increasing demand. Millions of journeys are made on our e-scooters across Norwich, Bournemouth and Poole, and the West Midlands every year.
The government’s recent indication that they will look to introduce legislation for e-scooters is exciting and, if they get it right, will have a chain effect. By making the vehicles more accessible they will boost their popularity, which will not only get more people out of their cars but will also amplify calls for better infrastructure. It’s all in place, we just need the green light.
Alongside the e-scooter, e-bikes are also increasingly popular and look to have a bright future ahead of them. People are attracted to the convenience and reduced physical effort of electric vehicles and this was again shown in our Rider Report, with 75% of those asked having ridden an e-bike in the last six months.
Our brand new BBE2 e-bike launched in September and has already seen excellent ridership and really positive feedback from both of its initial launch schemes – Guildford and Stevenage.
Multi-sector impact
Micromobility is undoubtedly an upwardly mobile industry and its development can help stimulate growth across multiple sectors.
At Beryl, we design and assemble our own products and industry-leading technology in the UK. Where possible, we also subcontract services to local companies. In Hereford for example, we subcontract on-street logistics to a local delivery solutions company, Hereford Pedicabs & Cargo. This means we generate a wide range of employment, training and upskilling opportunities across many sectors, from engineers and mechanics to customer-facing and on-street staff and drivers.
Our presence in towns and cities can help to revitalise underutilised areas and struggling high streets by making them quicker, easier and cheaper to access. This can help to stimulate a wider variety of local businesses and attract greater investment.
Cycling UK recently commissioned research from the think-tank Create Streets which found that local high streets with the best commercial performance are those that are easy to access. By making them more pedestrian and cycling friendly, people end up spending more money in those areas rather than driving to out-of-town retail parks.
Shared transport can also benefit individual businesses in multiple ways. Its flexibility can suit the changes in post-covid working patterns, cut commuting times and increase workforce mobility, all of which help to maintain a happy and motivated workforce. This can only be beneficial to productivity.
Investment in shared transport will magnify this wider impact.
A healthier society
Physical activity is scientifically proven to aid both mental and physical health. In the last year alone, we have generated well over three million hours of it across the UK. We also recently launched a social prescription pilot in Plymouth, enabling healthcare professionals to prescribe free Beryl minutes to those in need. We will seek to roll this out further and ensure that even more people are given the tools to help them improve their mental and physical health.
Analysis from The Health Foundation shows that four million working-age people are currently out of work with ill health. It also suggests that workers with work-limiting health conditions are still three times more likely to leave the workforce than those in good health. Getting just a percentage of these people back into employment could have a huge impact on national growth.
We have hundreds of examples of Beryl riders that state how their use of shared sustainable transport has had a positive impact on their mental and physical health. We also know that our electric vehicles in particular, are used by an increasing number of riders with disabilities.
“I have COPD and was very depressed. Being able to cycle… has been instrumental in clearing my head, giving me a more positive outlook,” one rider said.
“My health has also really improved as I exercise more and get more fresh air.”
By investing in active travel and all of its associated health benefits, the government can not only help more people back into work, it can also reduce the burden on an overstretched NHS and the welfare system.
International growth opportunities
Shared sustainable transport is an international market, with cities across the world long recognising the importance of providing active travel solutions as an alternative to private car usage. The issues of traffic congestion, air quality and public health reach way beyond these shores and the call for solutions echoes far and wide.
By stimulating growth and enabling UK companies such as Beryl to develop further, the government can help them compete for international shared transport tenders.
Successful bids will require the company to upscale production and operations, which again will generate more employment opportunities across multiple sectors. It’s that chain effect once again.
Ultimately, the opportunities for growth are there. Now, the government must invest and legislate to provide the keys to unlock them.
