Expanded LNER Beryl e-scooter hire scheme launches trial in Leeds

The UK’s leading micro mobility provider, Beryl, has partnered with the Leeds City Council to expand the LNER Beryl Bike Scheme with e-scooters.

Commencing today (March 19), the trial will include an initial fleet of 100 e-scooters, and directly supporting the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy. Leeds will be the first new city added to the national e-scooter trial programme since 2020.

The e-scooters will provide residents and visitors with an additional low-cost, convenient, accessible, and sustainable transport option throughout the city.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “We are thrilled to be the first city since 2020 to participate in the e-scooter trial programme. Beryl’s e-scooter will be a welcome expansion to our LNER Beryl Bike Scheme. The future of transport is sustainable and multi-modal, with different transport types to meet the public’s needs.

“These new e-scooters accelerate the ambitions outlined in our Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy, offering an accessible and low-cost alternative to car journeys for people living, working, studying, and visiting our wonderful city.”

The scheme will operate within the area of the existing LNER Beryl Bike Scheme, benefitting from Beryl’s multi-modal approach and data-backed reliability. The scheme complements the city’s train stations, providing first-and last-mile journeys while promoting active and shared mobility as part of a rail-backed, lower-carbon transport network.

Beryl will utilise its ready-built network of docking points to ensure tidy, organised parking from day one. This ‘dock-to-dock’ model is laying the groundwork for the simple and safe integration of e-scooters into the UK’s urban mobility landscape, whether through the existing government trial scheme or future legislative changes.

Similar schemes are already running in places including Manchester, Plymouth, Bradford, Brighton and Belfast.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin added: “Our cycle hire scheme has many benefits, helping people get around and improving their health and wellbeing. So I’m delighted to see this expansion by Beryl and Leeds City Council, which will now involve a new e-scooter trial.

“This supports our vision to create a fully integrated transport network in a greener, better-connected region.”

Beryl first launched in Leeds in 2023, in partnership with Leeds City Council and backed by funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Individuals aged 18 and over with a valid full, provisional, or supported international driving licence will be permitted to hire the e-scooters with appropriate insurance included as part of the scheme.

While privately-owned e-scooters remain illegal, this new trial will provide accessible e-scooters that can be operated legally, safely, and within a regulated framework.