Did BEE bikes get me buzzin about town?

CYCLE SCHEME IS HANDY BUT TRY NOT TO GET FINED

- ETHAN DAVIES

BEE Bikes are becoming a more common sight in the city centre, with record rider numbers reportedly seen this summer.

The bikes, available for shortterm hire from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), are a crucial part of the Bee Network.

Officially called Starling Bank Bikes, users can rent one via an app and it costs 5p-per-minute for a traditional push-bike, and 10p-perminute for e-bikes.

And with a swathe of stations in Manchester, Salford and Trafford, Bee Bikes promise to be a convenient way of getting about.

I'm no stranger to cycling, as I used to commute on two wheels from Salford to Oxford Road. I stopped because my wheel was stolen in Withington - then my replacement bike was nicked from Market Street. So with the health benefits already well-known and the promise of getting around cheaply, I decided to see if I could fall in love with cycling again.

"I'M OFF... I'M ENJOYING IT"

I took 15 journeys over the course of a month, at all times of day, including morning rush hour, during evening rush hour and after dark.

My start point was typically the Arundel Street station near Chester Road roundabout and my destinations were largely key city centre locations - St Peter's Square, Piccadilly Gardens, Angel Square near Corporation Street and Deansgate with trips further afield to Peel Park and Miles Platting.

My trial started in 27°C sunshine with a short walk to the Arundel St station - and it took four minutes to find a problem: there were no bikes at said station. However, there were plenty at my next one, Hulme Hall Lane, off the A56, Chester Rd.

Unlike the ill-fated Manchester's last experiment with short-term cycle rental, you can't pick up these bikes, which are part of a franchise under public control, from anywhere.