1001 Smart Cities
🇬🇧 Manchester

Starling Bank Bikes: Greater Manchester's Cycle Hire After Mobike Left

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 26 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

26 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

Mobike left Manchester in 2018, saying it used no taxpayer money to cover its losses. The public scheme that followed has GPS on every bike and still fell below 200 available in 2023.

Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byTransport for Greater Manchester; designed, built, operated and maintained by Beryl
Scale🗺️ Regional
FundingTransport for Greater Manchester; operating fee met from hire charges and sponsorship (Starling Bank since February 2024), with any deficit funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund; contract extended with Mayor's Challenge Fund and Active Travel Fund 4 and 5 money. No scheme budget located; recovery-plan costs sit in a confidential Part B report.

Part of 1001 Smart Cities — 1,216 documented projects · 🏙️ 8 more in Manchester · 🚲 Cycling guide · 🚲 Mobility projects

Greater Manchester's public cycle hire, launched as Bee Network Cycle Hire and renamed Starling Bank Bikes in February 2024, is run for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) by the operator Beryl under a contract to design, build, operate and maintain the scheme. It opened to the public on 18 November 2021 along Oxford Road, at MediaCityUK and at the University of Salford, and by Easter 2023 had grown to over 1,000 bikes, more than 200 stations and over 2,500 stands in parts of Manchester, Salford and Trafford. Each bike carries a smart unit with GPS tracking and telemetry, riders unlock and pay through an app that shows real-time availability, and Beryl publishes a live GBFS feed of the scheme under the CDLA-Permissive-2.0 licence. It followed the dockless Mobike scheme, which arrived in Manchester and Salford in June 2017 and withdrew in September 2018, citing theft and vandalism.

Live 📅 since 2021

📊 Impact

GPS on every bike did not keep the fleet on the street. From spring 2023 theft and vandalism outpaced repairs: at the end of July 2023 over 550 bikes were missing, over 700 needed repair and availability dropped below 200, against a contracted service level of 95% of commissioned bikes. TfGM and Beryl suspended service at 102 stations, chosen as those generating less than 1 ride per station per day, which coincided with areas of higher anti-social behaviour; they also made both locks mandatory, raised the fines for misuse and brought the scheme into police and transport-unit enforcement. Use then grew: TfGM counts 504,807 rides from January to October 2025, about 29% more than in the same months of 2024, and 1.57 million rides since launch by 19 October 2025, with half the fleet electric since May 2025. Availability stayed short of plan: the number of bikes available each month from April to November 2025 ranged from 665 to 859, against a target of 1,200. In TfGM's survey, 81% of respondents in 2025 had used a hired bike to commute, up from 57% in 2024; the annual report says some riders switched from motorised journeys but gives no figure, and no source measures how many car trips the scheme replaced.

🎓 Lesson

Two operators met the same theft and vandalism in the same city centre, and the difference that decided the outcome was the contract, not the bike. Mobike, which lost 10 per cent of its Manchester fleet in July 2018 alone, left because, as its UK general manager put it, "unlike some operators we do not use taxpayer money to help balance our books". Greater Manchester's cycling commissioner replied that a scheme needs "the option for docking stations and enough people on the ground". The public scheme that followed has stands, two locks and GPS on every bike, and still fell below 200 available bikes in 2023; what it had that Mobike lacked was a contract under which any operating deficit is funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund, and an authority that could shut its least-used stations and call in the police instead of leaving. Telemetry tells a city where its bikes are; keeping them there takes a budget and people.

🚲 MobilityCyclingShared mobilityOpen data

Sources

↗ GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)Published September 2023Report of the Mayor of Greater Manchester to the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its meeting of 27 September 2023, prepared by TfGM's Active Travel Programme Director. States that phase 1 launched in November 2021 and was rolled out in three sub-phases to Easter 2023, culminating in over 1,000 bikes, more than 200 stations and over 2,500 stands across parts of Manchester, Salford and Trafford (it also says over 1,500 bikes had been commissioned); that Beryl won the design, build, operate and maintain contract in 2021; that each bike has a smart unit with on-board GPS tracking and telemetry; that any operational cost deficit is funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund; that at the end of July 2023 over 550 bikes were missing, over 700 needed repair and availability fell below 200, against a contracted level of 95% of commissioned bikes; and that the recovery plan suspended 102 stations generating less than 1 ride per station per day, mandated both locks, raised penalties and added police and TravelSafe enforcement.
↗ TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025Published January 2026TfGM's annual report for 2025, Appendix A to the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny papers of 28 January 2026. Reports 504,807 Starling Bank Cycle Hire rides from January to October 2025, about 29% higher than January to October 2024 (the summary rounds this to 30%), 1.57 million rides and more than 3.86 million kilometres since launch by 19 October 2025, 50% of the fleet electric assist since May 2025, and survey results: 81% of respondents had used a hired bike to commute in 2025 against 57% in 2024, and 77% were satisfied against 63%. Says the survey indicates some riders switched from motorised transport, without a figure.
↗ TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025: data compendiumPublished January 2026Data appendix to TfGM's 2025 annual report, published with the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny papers of 28 January 2026. Figure 23, sourced to the operator's operational data, charts the number of bikes available each month from April to November 2025 (859, 753, 665, 789, 757, 840, 762, 798) against a target line of 1,200.
↗ GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Active Travel Annual Report, covering report of the Active Travel Commissioner (Jan 2026)Published January 2026Covering report of the Active Travel Commissioner for the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny meeting of 28 January 2026. States that 'frustrating, but manageable, levels of Anti-Social Behaviour persist', that funding from the Mayor's Challenge Fund and Active Travel Funds 4 and 5 allows the scheme to continue through an extension of the contract, and that a plan to expand cycle hire to further areas was delayed, with proposals due by May 2026.
↗ Beryl — Greater Manchester cycle hire scheme hits 10,000km (13 Dec 2021)The operator's announcement that riders covered more than 10,000km in under four weeks; states that the scheme launched to the public on 18 November 2021, with bikes at stations along Oxford Road, at MediaCityUK and at the University of Salford.
Show 8 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ Transport for Greater Manchester — Sponsorships: Starling Bank BikesTfGM's standing sponsorship page: Starling Bank became the first sponsor of the bike hire scheme, TfGM's largest commercial sponsorship; the scheme was renamed Starling Bank Bikes, with branding rolled out in February 2024, and sponsorship revenue goes back into the scheme.
↗ Transport for Greater Manchester — Cycle hire scheme privacy noticeThe scheme's privacy notice: TfGM works with Beryl to provide the scheme; data collected include bike location and GPS tracking, the route taken during a hire and start and drop-off locations; GPS tracking is used so 'that we can learn more about cycle routes and where our bikes are'.
↗ Beryl — Greater Manchester GBFS feed: system informationThe live General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS 2.2) feed for the system 'beryl_greater_manchester', named Starling Bank Bikes; its auto-discovery file lists station status, free bike status and geofencing zones, and the system information gives the licence as CDLA-Permissive-2.0.
↗ TechCrunch — Mobike will launch dockless bike-sharing in the U.K., its first market outside of Asia (12 Jun 2017)Reports Mobike's announcement that it would launch in Manchester and Salford, its first cities outside Asia, on 29 June 2017 with 1,000 bikes, as a six-month trial agreed with the two city councils and TfGM.
↗ road.cc — Mobike dockless bike share scheme coming to Manchester and Salford (13 Jun 2017)Reports that a thousand Mobikes were to be made available in Manchester and Salford under permission for a six-month trial from Thursday 29 June 2017, and the mayor's description of the scheme as untested.
↗ Cycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018)Reports Mobike's withdrawal from Manchester: over July 10 per cent of the Manchester fleet was lost or vandalised, many bikes had locks hacked off and frames resprayed; Mobike arrived in June 2017; first time the company retreated from a city because of behaviour rather than weak demand; quotes the general manager of Mobike UK, Jan Van der Ven, as told to the Guardian.
↗ Dezeen — Mobike withdraws from Manchester due to vandalism (6 Sep 2018)Published 6 September 2018Reports Mobike's press release 'Goodbyes are never easy', citing 'increased bike losses due to theft and vandalism in the city' and promising refunds of deposits; quotes Jan Van der Ven: 'unlike some operators we do not use taxpayer money to help balance our books'. Dates the Manchester arrival to July 2017 and says Mobike withdrew its initial bikes in November 2017 before returning to a smaller zone.
↗ Place North West — Boardman criticises Mobike engagement as city looks to cycling future (7 Sep 2018)Reports Mobike's statement that it had lost 10% of its bikes each month over the summer, and the response of Greater Manchester's cycling and walking commissioner Chris Boardman that Mobike had not shown 'the right level of engagement' and that a successful scheme needs 'the option for docking stations and enough people on the ground'.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2021. 10 of 13 sources carry a publication date, from 12 June 2017 to January 2026.

When the sources were published

  1. TechCrunch · pressTechCrunch — Mobike will launch dockless bike-sharing in the U.K., its first market outside of Asia (12 Jun 2017)
  2. road.cc · pressroad.cc — Mobike dockless bike share scheme coming to Manchester and Salford (13 Jun 2017)
  3. Cycling Weekly · pressCycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018)
  4. Dezeen · pressDezeen — Mobike withdraws from Manchester due to vandalism (6 Sep 2018)
  5. Place North West · pressPlace North West — Boardman criticises Mobike engagement as city looks to cycling future (7 Sep 2018)
  6. Beryl · operatorBeryl — Greater Manchester cycle hire scheme hits 10,000km (13 Dec 2021)
  7. Greater Manchester Combined Authority · regional governmentGMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
  8. Transport for Greater Manchester · operatorTfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025
Show 2 more dated sourcesShow fewer
  1. Transport for Greater Manchester · operatorTfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025: data compendium
  2. Greater Manchester Combined Authority · regional governmentGMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Active Travel Annual Report, covering report of the Active Travel Commissioner (Jan 2026)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Entered the record
  2. Sources last read

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 26 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence file · public beta 26 addressable claims, 13 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The file is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 26

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-2c4859d5732f31b6 quantitative
launched as Bee Network Cycle Hire and renamed Starling Bank Bikes in February 2024
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The scrutiny report calls the scheme the Greater Manchester Bee Network Cycle Hire scheme; TfGM's sponsorship page says it was renamed Starling Bank Bikes, with the branding rolled out in February 2024.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
  2. Transport for Greater Manchester — Sponsorships: Starling Bank Bikes
Claim 2 clm-0f03b44a12a24dd2 descriptive
is run for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) by the operator Beryl under a contract to design, build, operate and maintain the scheme
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report states that the design and operation of phase 1 was awarded to Beryl after a competitive tender in 2021, under a contract to design, build, operate and maintain the scheme.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 3 clm-5647fa401ba5b4f5 quantitative
It opened to the public on 18 November 2021 along Oxford Road, at MediaCityUK and at the University of Salford
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The operator's announcement states the public launch date and the three locations of the first stations.
Caveat
The 18 November date is the operator's; TfGM's scrutiny report gives only November 2021.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Beryl — Greater Manchester cycle hire scheme hits 10,000km (13 Dec 2021)
Claim 4 clm-9589cfd6e585de21 quantitative
by Easter 2023 had grown to over 1,000 bikes, more than 200 stations and over 2,500 stands in parts of Manchester, Salford and Trafford
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report says phase 1 was rolled out in three sub-phases from November 2021 to Easter 2023, culminating in these figures in an area spanning parts of the three boroughs.
Caveat
The same report also says over 1,500 bikes had been commissioned and that the stands give capacity for 1,500 bikes; the counts describe different things and are not reconciled there.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 5 clm-97c27331ab3464e3 descriptive
Each bike carries a smart unit with GPS tracking and telemetry
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report states the bikes are fitted with a smart unit with on-board GPS tracking and telemetry monitors; the privacy notice lists bike location and GPS tracking among the data collected.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
  2. Transport for Greater Manchester — Cycle hire scheme privacy notice
Claim 6 clm-08e9370a73109805 descriptive
riders unlock and pay through an app that shows real-time availability
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report says users access the scheme through a smartphone app which provides real-time availability information and collects payment.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 7 clm-7225ffce8d4a032c quantitative
Beryl publishes a live GBFS feed of the scheme under the CDLA-Permissive-2.0 licence
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The feed's system information names the system Starling Bank Bikes, gives Beryl as operator contact and states the licence URL of CDLA-Permissive-2.0.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Beryl — Greater Manchester GBFS feed: system information
Claim 8 clm-414e9ce67e409555 quantitative
It followed the dockless Mobike scheme, which arrived in Manchester and Salford in June 2017
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
TechCrunch and road.cc report the launch with 1,000 bikes in Manchester and Salford from 29 June 2017; Cycling Weekly says Mobike arrived in June 2017.
Caveat
Dezeen dates the arrival to July 2017; the launch reports name 29 June.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TechCrunch — Mobike will launch dockless bike-sharing in the U.K., its first market outside of Asia (12 Jun 2017)
  2. road.cc — Mobike dockless bike share scheme coming to Manchester and Salford (13 Jun 2017)
  3. Cycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018)
Claim 9 clm-6e506a64874c6196 quantitative
withdrew in September 2018, citing theft and vandalism
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Dezeen reports Mobike's press release 'Goodbyes are never easy', citing increased bike losses due to theft and vandalism; Cycling Weekly reports the pull-out on 5 September 2018.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Dezeen — Mobike withdraws from Manchester due to vandalism (6 Sep 2018)
  2. Cycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018)
Claim 10 clm-df6ee03e919937c6 quantitative
From spring 2023 theft and vandalism outpaced repairs
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report says that since spring 2023 the scheme experienced higher than expected theft and vandalism, with missing bikes and repairs rising significantly between April and July 2023.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 11 clm-f74aef52f397aa10 quantitative
at the end of July 2023 over 550 bikes were missing, over 700 needed repair and availability dropped below 200
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report gives these three figures for the end of July 2023.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 12 clm-4bd83e09ad5b675d quantitative
against a contracted service level of 95% of commissioned bikes
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The recovery plan was designed to bring availability back to the contracted service level agreement of 95% of commissioned bikes.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 13 clm-25d20d47fb6d38aa quantitative
TfGM and Beryl suspended service at 102 stations, chosen as those generating less than 1 ride per station per day, which coincided with areas of higher anti-social behaviour
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report lists the suspension of service at 102 stations and explains that the operator proposed suspending all stations generating less than one ride per day, as these coincided with areas of higher anti-social behaviour.
Caveat
Some stations were suspended until a review in autumn 2023, others until April 2024; no source located says how many reopened.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 14 clm-d868277c33011de9 descriptive
they also made both locks mandatory, raised the fines for misuse and brought the scheme into police and transport-unit enforcement
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The recovery-plan actions include mandating front and rear locks, increased penalties for improper use and incorporation into the targeted activities of the GM Transport Unit, GMP and TravelSafe teams.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 15 clm-90f738027e85ae85 quantitative
TfGM counts 504,807 rides from January to October 2025, about 29% more than in the same months of 2024
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
TfGM's annual report gives the ride count and says it is about 29% higher than January to October 2024.
Caveat
The same report also rounds this to 30% in its summary and gives a 32% year-on-year rise in rides for 2025 elsewhere.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025
Claim 16 clm-da8e379d6f78560b quantitative
1.57 million rides since launch by 19 October 2025
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report gives the cumulative total since the November 2021 launch, as of 19 October 2025.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025
Claim 17 clm-833e817a546bbf8a quantitative
with half the fleet electric since May 2025
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report states that 50% of the fleet has been electric assist since May 2025.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025
Claim 18 clm-740533a05c8e0b02 quantitative
the number of bikes available each month from April to November 2025 ranged from 665 to 859, against a target of 1,200
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Figure 23 of the data compendium charts monthly available bikes from operator data, lowest 665 (June 2025) and highest 859 (April 2025), with a target line at 1,200.
Caveat
The values are read from a bar chart whose labels print the monthly figures.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025: data compendium
Claim 19 clm-7b0bf3683a5c7d4d quantitative
In TfGM's survey, 81% of respondents in 2025 had used a hired bike to commute, up from 57% in 2024
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The annual report gives the share of survey respondents who had used a bike to commute to or from a regular place of work. The data compendium gives the survey bases (355 in 2025, 238 in 2024).
Caveat
The survey bases are small (355 respondents in 2025, 238 in 2024, per the data compendium) and self-selected scheme users.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025
  2. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025: data compendium
Claim 20 clm-9157fb73152d0e7d descriptive
the annual report says some riders switched from motorised journeys but gives no figure
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report says survey results indicate that for some riders the scheme replaced journeys previously made by motorised transport, without quantifying it.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025
Claim 21 clm-0659c670313669a5 quantitative
Mobike, which lost 10 per cent of its Manchester fleet in July 2018 alone
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Cycling Weekly reports that over July 10 per cent of the Manchester fleet was lost or vandalised; Place North West reports Mobike's statement that it lost 10% of its bikes each month over the summer.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Cycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018)
  2. Place North West — Boardman criticises Mobike engagement as city looks to cycling future (7 Sep 2018)
Claim 22 clm-4a2c86df9c93c6a0 descriptive
as its UK general manager put it, "unlike some operators we do not use taxpayer money to help balance our books"
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Dezeen and Cycling Weekly quote Jan Van der Ven, general manager of Mobike UK, with this sentence.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Dezeen — Mobike withdraws from Manchester due to vandalism (6 Sep 2018)
  2. Cycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018)
Claim 23 clm-93f14e5159197096 descriptive
Greater Manchester's cycling commissioner replied that a scheme needs "the option for docking stations and enough people on the ground"
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Place North West quotes Chris Boardman, then Greater Manchester's cycling and walking commissioner, in his response to Mobike's withdrawal.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Place North West — Boardman criticises Mobike engagement as city looks to cycling future (7 Sep 2018)
Claim 24 clm-eaff3627973c217c quantitative
The public scheme that followed has stands, two locks and GPS on every bike, and still fell below 200 available bikes in 2023
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The report describes the front and rear locks, the stands and the on-board GPS unit, and the drop in availability below 200 at the end of July 2023.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Claim 25 clm-b23cfb183f33df57 descriptive
a contract under which any operating deficit is funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The 2023 report says the management fee was to be funded by rental revenue and sponsorship, with any operational cost deficit funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund; the 2026 covering report says funding from that fund and Active Travel Funds 4 and 5 allows the scheme to continue through a contract extension.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
  2. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Active Travel Annual Report, covering report of the Active Travel Commissioner (Jan 2026)
Claim 26 clm-363f575936f50511 descriptive
an authority that could shut its least-used stations and call in the police instead of leaving
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
The recovery plan suspended stations with less than one ride per day and brought the scheme into targeted police and TravelSafe enforcement.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-10-16-baseline effective 2026-10-16 · created 2026-10-16

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:de9815c4f878d58aee31df74811577e43b604727ea30b23ef5236051466d151e
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
26
of 26 claims mapped
13
source dossiers
6
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Transport for Greater Manchester; designed, built, operated and maintained by Beryl
Actor types
regional-government, private
Funding model
mixed
Funding description
Transport for Greater Manchester; operating fee met from hire charges and sponsorship (Starling Bank since February 2024), with any deficit funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund; contract extended with Mayor's Challenge Fund and Active Travel Fund 4 and 5 money. No scheme budget located; recovery-plan costs sit in a confidential Part B report.
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

13 source dossiers

GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Bee Network Cycle Hire Recovery Plan (Sep 2023) democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk · 13 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b64d8338278d1e28
Publisher
Name not classified · democracy.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk
Type / language
pdf · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Report of the Mayor of Greater Manchester to the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its meeting of 27 September 2023, prepared by TfGM's Active Travel Programme Director. States that phase 1 launched in November 2021 and was rolled out in three sub-phases to Easter 2023, culminating in over 1,000 bikes, more than 200 stations and over 2,500 stands across parts of Manchester, Salford and Trafford (it also says over 1,500 bikes had been commissioned); that Beryl won the design, build, operate and maintain contract in 2021; that each bike has a smart unit with on-board GPS tracking and telemetry; that any operational cost deficit is funded from the Mayor's Challenge Fund; that at the end of July 2023 over 550 bikes were missing, over 700 needed repair and availability fell below 200, against a contracted level of 95% of commissioned bikes; and that the recovery plan suspended 102 stations generating less than 1 ride per station per day, mandated both locks, raised penalties and added police and TravelSafe enforcement.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025 civico.net · 5 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-eab16a1f7a33f4e5
Publisher
Name not classified · civico.net
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

TfGM's annual report for 2025, Appendix A to the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny papers of 28 January 2026. Reports 504,807 Starling Bank Cycle Hire rides from January to October 2025, about 29% higher than January to October 2024 (the summary rounds this to 30%), 1.57 million rides and more than 3.86 million kilometres since launch by 19 October 2025, 50% of the fleet electric assist since May 2025, and survey results: 81% of respondents had used a hired bike to commute in 2025 against 57% in 2024, and 77% were satisfied against 63%. Says the survey indicates some riders switched from motorised transport, without a figure.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
TfGM — Active Travel in Greater Manchester Annual Report 2025: data compendium civico.net · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-d372b4267dbaf1c3
Publisher
Name not classified · civico.net
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Data appendix to TfGM's 2025 annual report, published with the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny papers of 28 January 2026. Figure 23, sourced to the operator's operational data, charts the number of bikes available each month from April to November 2025 (859, 753, 665, 789, 757, 840, 762, 798) against a target line of 1,200.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
GMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee — Active Travel Annual Report, covering report of the Active Travel Commissioner (Jan 2026) civico.net · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-6e314c0f3a1bae2a
Publisher
Name not classified · civico.net
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Covering report of the Active Travel Commissioner for the GMCA Overview and Scrutiny meeting of 28 January 2026. States that 'frustrating, but manageable, levels of Anti-Social Behaviour persist', that funding from the Mayor's Challenge Fund and Active Travel Funds 4 and 5 allows the scheme to continue through an extension of the contract, and that a plan to expand cycle hire to further areas was delayed, with proposals due by May 2026.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Beryl — Greater Manchester cycle hire scheme hits 10,000km (13 Dec 2021) beryl.cc · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-bdf87e67a5901477
Publisher
Name not classified · beryl.cc
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2021-12-13
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The operator's announcement that riders covered more than 10,000km in under four weeks; states that the scheme launched to the public on 18 November 2021, with bikes at stations along Oxford Road, at MediaCityUK and at the University of Salford.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Transport for Greater Manchester — Sponsorships: Starling Bank Bikes my.tfgm.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-25c106e7747b61c1
Publisher
Name not classified · my.tfgm.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

TfGM's standing sponsorship page: Starling Bank became the first sponsor of the bike hire scheme, TfGM's largest commercial sponsorship; the scheme was renamed Starling Bank Bikes, with branding rolled out in February 2024, and sponsorship revenue goes back into the scheme.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Transport for Greater Manchester — Cycle hire scheme privacy notice tfgm.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-4b5c4234e04a1fea
Publisher
Name not classified · tfgm.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The scheme's privacy notice: TfGM works with Beryl to provide the scheme; data collected include bike location and GPS tracking, the route taken during a hire and start and drop-off locations; GPS tracking is used so 'that we can learn more about cycle routes and where our bikes are'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Beryl — Greater Manchester GBFS feed: system information gbfs.beryl.cc · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f186ba424803fa17
Publisher
Name not classified · gbfs.beryl.cc
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The live General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS 2.2) feed for the system 'beryl_greater_manchester', named Starling Bank Bikes; its auto-discovery file lists station status, free bike status and geofencing zones, and the system information gives the licence as CDLA-Permissive-2.0.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
TechCrunch — Mobike will launch dockless bike-sharing in the U.K., its first market outside of Asia (12 Jun 2017) techcrunch.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-23990a3ac4326b82
Publisher
Name not classified · techcrunch.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2017-06-12
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports Mobike's announcement that it would launch in Manchester and Salford, its first cities outside Asia, on 29 June 2017 with 1,000 bikes, as a six-month trial agreed with the two city councils and TfGM.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
road.cc — Mobike dockless bike share scheme coming to Manchester and Salford (13 Jun 2017) road.cc · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-611413697a0d2198
Publisher
Name not classified · road.cc
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2017-06-13
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports that a thousand Mobikes were to be made available in Manchester and Salford under permission for a six-month trial from Thursday 29 June 2017, and the mayor's description of the scheme as untested.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Cycling Weekly — Mobike pulls out of Manchester following theft and vandalism (5 Sep 2018) cyclingweekly.com · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-afd8e23292a37d40
Publisher
Name not classified · cyclingweekly.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2018-09-05
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports Mobike's withdrawal from Manchester: over July 10 per cent of the Manchester fleet was lost or vandalised, many bikes had locks hacked off and frames resprayed; Mobike arrived in June 2017; first time the company retreated from a city because of behaviour rather than weak demand; quotes the general manager of Mobike UK, Jan Van der Ven, as told to the Guardian.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Dezeen — Mobike withdraws from Manchester due to vandalism (6 Sep 2018) dezeen.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f10120d12354f26e
Publisher
Name not classified · dezeen.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2018-09-06
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports Mobike's press release 'Goodbyes are never easy', citing 'increased bike losses due to theft and vandalism in the city' and promising refunds of deposits; quotes Jan Van der Ven: 'unlike some operators we do not use taxpayer money to help balance our books'. Dates the Manchester arrival to July 2017 and says Mobike withdrew its initial bikes in November 2017 before returning to a smaller zone.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Place North West — Boardman criticises Mobike engagement as city looks to cycling future (7 Sep 2018) placenorthwest.co.uk · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-c4c2b183a953ee66
Publisher
Name not classified · placenorthwest.co.uk
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2018-09-07
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-16
Dossier created
2026-10-16
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Reports Mobike's statement that it had lost 10% of its bikes each month over the summer, and the response of Greater Manchester's cycling and walking commissioner Chris Boardman that Mobike had not shown 'the right level of engagement' and that a successful scheme needs 'the option for docking stations and enough people on the ground'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this file
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇨🇳 Electronic parking fences for Chengdu's shared bikes · Chengdu Chengdu answered dockless parking with geofences and fees; Manchester saw Mobike leave and built a docked scheme with two locks. 🇬🇧 Bee Network: Greater Manchester's Franchised Buses and Tap-and-Go Fares · Manchester Both run under TfGM's Bee Network: the buses by franchise contracts, the bikes by Beryl's operating contract. 🇵🇱 Veturilo: Warsaw's GPS-Tracked Public Bike-Share · Warsaw Warsaw rebuilt its scheme around GPS bikes in 2023 and made the racks city property so they outlast the operator.

Explore the wider context

🔑 Your Smart City Is Owned by Someone Else📖 Geofencing📖 15-minute city📖 Building performance standard (BPS)
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “Starling Bank Bikes: Greater Manchester's Cycle Hire After Mobike Left” — Manchester, United Kingdom. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/greater-manchester-bike-hire/ (last verified 2026-10-16). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

🚩 Report an error · 🔔 Follow changes to this entry (RSS)

✉️ One source-checked project a week. No pitches, no vendors.

Inside: the Landmark of the Week, one Insight, the newly documented cities. One-click unsubscribe. About the newsletter · RSS