BIKE share provider, Beryl has today introduced a pause-ride function to its bike scheme, making multi-stop journeys easier.

The mobility company’s tech team has worked to release the feature during this recovery period so it can enable key workers and the wider public to make essential stops during their trips, as well as support the gradual re-opening of local highstreets.

The new feature will give riders the flexibility to make short stop-offs whilst being able to secure the bike for their ongoing journey.

While a ride is paused, others will not be able to hire the bike and will not show up in the Beryl app.

Users are encouraged to park responsibly so bikes are not causing obstructions or thought to be abandoned.

To pause a ride on a Beryl bike the rider should stop and lock the bike as usual.

On opening the Beryl app the rider will then have a short countdown during which they may choose the option to ‘Pause My Ride’. When a rider wants to resume their trip, they open the Beryl app and tap “Resume Ride” to unlock the bike and continue their journey.

The maximum time a bike can be on paused is 15 minutes and riders on the ‘Pay As You Ride’ tariff will be charged the base 5p per minute rate, those with bundles will have the paused minutes deducted from their balance.

A countdown will be visible in the Beryl app to give users a guide on how long they have left. If the journey is not resumed within that period the trip will automatically end.

Beryl CEO Philip Ellis said, “It’s always fantastic to hear and see how our riders have adopted Beryl bikes into their daily lives. We’ve heard lots of ideas and suggestions for new features to make it even easier to choose a bike for transport, and by far the most popular request was the ability to pause rides.”

“The pause ride feature has become even more important during these difficult times when key workers and other residents are using Beryl Bikes to make essential trips to the supermarket or pharmacist. The ease of being able to pause their ride and use the same bike to continue the journey makes for a safer and more enjoyable journey.”