THE first dockless Beryl Bikes will be available to use in Bournemouth on Friday.

A media launch takes place on the morning, before 50 bikes go live for members of the public to use on Monday.

These 50 will then be increased to more than 1,000 over the summer, says the company behind the scheme.

Beryl Bikes, who have teamed up with BCP Council, announced their move into the urban bike-sharing sector in its own right earlier this year.

The firm has previously worked on providing lights for other bike share initiatives in major cities such as London, New York, Montreal and Glasgow.

The council awarded Beryl a five-year contract to provide the bikes across the conurbation. As part of the initiative, the scheme will be entirely dockless, with riders instead leaving their bikes in specific parking zones, which have been coined ‘Beryl Bays’, using a lock through the rear wheel to secure the bike.

Alternatively, users can leave a Beryl bike outside these designated areas but they will be charged a convenience fee.

Phase one of Beryl’s plans will see more than 100 bays across the area, with hopes to develop the provision further through eBikes, cargo bikes and expansion into Christchurch.

Earlier this year BCP Council announced it had been selected to bid for a share of the £1.2bn Transforming Cities Fund, which it wants to use to improve transport routes and their environmental impact in the area.

At that time, head of growth and infrastructure for Poole, Julian McLaughlin, said: “As part of our bid for a share of the Transforming Cities Fund we are in the process of putting together an outline business case for government to consider. Through this significant funding we have the opportunity to make a fundamental change to the transport network and are looking at all options as part of the bidding process."

Welcoming the Beryl Bikes scheme, Mr McLaughlin added: "And it may be that electric bikes are part of the future BCP Council area.”