Watford's Beryl bike share has passed 2 million km since 2020, with a record 138,000 trips in the past year. Watford Junction is the busiest of its 90 bays.
Riders on Watford’s Beryl bike and e-bike share scheme have now covered 2 million kilometres since it launched in March 2020, and the past 12 months were the busiest yet. Watford Borough Council and Beryl, which runs the scheme, said the total had been built up over more than 720,000 trips by more than 50,000 riders. That is close to 50 times round the Earth.
The first million kilometres took until July 2023. The second took a little over three years.
Most of the distance is short, everyday riding. A typical Beryl trip in Watford is about 2.6km, the council said: to the station, the town centre, work or the park.
A record 12 months
Over the past year riders made more than 138,000 journeys and covered more than 347,000km, more than in any previous calendar year, according to the council and Beryl.
E-bikes now carry most of it. So far this year more than four in five journeys have been on a Beryl e-bike. In January 2026 the council decided to extend the scheme until at least April 2031 and add 120 new e-bikes to the fleet.
Watford Junction is the busiest bay
The bay at Watford Junction had 29,819 journeys starting or ending there in the last 12 months, more than one in five of all Watford trips. Use of that bay is up 43% on the year before. Some 81% of its trips are made on weekdays, with clear peaks around the morning and evening trains, which the council says makes it a first and last mile link for rail commuters.
There are now 90 bays. In the past two years new ones have opened at:
- Watford Metropolitan and Garston stations
- three housing developments: Cortland Cassiobury, Riverwell and The Exchange
- workplaces including Watford Business Park and the Wenta Business Centre
In 2024 the scheme spread beyond the borough into Bushey and Croxley Green. The release says Beryl will keep developing the network with Watford Borough, Hertsmere Borough, Three Rivers District and Hertfordshire County councils so that it is “fairer, more convenient to park and has bikes available where people need them”.
What riders told Beryl
Beryl’s 2025 Annual Rider Survey found:
- about 70% of Watford users said the scheme let them make journeys they would not otherwise have made
- without Beryl, 20% would have driven a car or van and 23% would have taken a taxi or ride-share
- 66% said they now cycle more often or much more often since joining
Riders have also spent more than 250,000 hours in the saddle since launch.
Newly employed jobseekers referred through Jobcentre Plus get their first month free and then 12 months at half price, and local Community Champions work with groups who are less likely to cycle.
What the Mayor and Beryl said
The Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “Reaching two million kilometres is a fantastic milestone for Watford and shows just how much our bike and e-bike share scheme has become part of everyday life in the town.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see record numbers of journeys and more people embracing e-bikes. By investing in the scheme and expanding the network, we’re helping to give residents and visitors more choice in how they travel, while supporting our ambitions for a cleaner, healthier and better-connected Watford.”
Philip Ellis, co-founder and chief executive of Beryl, said: “Two million kilometres is a huge collective effort from everyone who rides in Watford, and we’d like to thank them. What stands out is how much of it is everyday travel: short, local trips that could otherwise have been made by car or taxi. Our partnership with Watford Borough Council has made bike share part of the fabric of the town.”
He added that the move to e-bikes was helping more people ride further.
How to hire one
Bikes and e-bikes are hired through the Beryl app, free on the App Store and Google Play. More information is on beryl.cc. For other ways round the town, see our Watford roadworks and travel guide.
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