E-scooters have landed: everything you need to know about Brighton and Hove's Beryl trial
Councillor Trevor Muten and Council Leader Bella Sankey trying out the new e-scooters near Hove Lawns
E-scooters have landed on Brighton and Hove's streets
A new way to get around Brighton and Hove is now up and running. The city's first regulated e-scooter hire trial launched on Friday 24 July, run by Beryl, the same company behind the city's popular BTN bike share scheme.
It means Brighton and Hove has joined more than 50 towns and cities across the UK running official e-scooter trials. Crucially, these hired scooters are legal to ride, unlike private e-scooters, which remain against the law on roads, pavements and cycle lanes.
Here is how the scheme works, what it costs, where you can and cannot ride, and what people are saying about it.
How the rollout works
The trial is arriving in phases. It began with 100 Beryl e-scooters at 20 hubs, with dedicated racks along the seafront, in the city centre and at both Brighton and Hove railway stations. By the end of phase two, up to 300 scooters will be available from more than 30 hubs across the city, with at least 18 further sites to be consulted on after that.
Riding the Beryl e-scooters along the seafront cycle lane by Brighton Palace Pier
What it costs to ride
You hire a scooter through the Beryl app, which lets you find, unlock and pay for a ride. There are two ways to pay: buy a minute bundle for the best value, or pay as you ride.
There is also a £10 out-of-hub fee if a scooter is left outside a designated hub, to keep pavements clear. Free minute bundles are available for jobseekers and Universal Credit recipients.
A Beryl e-scooter rider travelling through Brighton
Safety comes first, says the council
The council says it has put safety at the heart of the trial, going, in its words, above and beyond other schemes in the country. Riders must be 18 or over and hold at least a provisional driving licence, with follow-up licence checks. Scooters can only be ridden on roads, in cycle lanes and in shared spaces, never on pavements, and accounts can be suspended for breaking the rules under a three-strikes policy.
GPS technology stops the scooters being ridden outside the hire zone, including the promenade and Undercliff Walk. Helmets are not a legal requirement but riders are offered a discount on folding helmets through the app.
Beryl rental bikes and e-scooter used as part of Brighton and Hove's shared transport scheme Credit: Beryl
Where you cannot ride
The hire zone comes with a network of no-go and go-slow areas, agreed with Sussex Police, landowners and the council's own teams. Alongside all pavements and dual carriageways, 24-hour no-go areas include the Undercliff from the Marina to Saltdean, Hove Promenade, the Lanes, Kensington Gardens, Churchill Square and Madeira Drive boardwalk, among others.
Some streets, like George Street in Hove and Gardner Street in Brighton, are timed no-go zones, and festival sites such as Preston Park and Madeira Drive become temporary no-go areas during events. There is a go-slow zone in the shared space in front of Brighton Palace Pier.
Beryl e-scooter riders travelling past the Royal Pavilion in Brighton
What people are saying
Like most changes to how the city moves around, the scooters have divided opinion. The debate locally and nationally comes down to convenience and green travel on one side, and safety, particularly for disabled residents, on the other.
The council says it listened to residents during the public consultation, which drew nearly 1,300 responses, and built the restrictions around those concerns. It has promised to monitor the data carefully, with formal reviews at three months and six months. The trial is currently licensed to run until the end of May 2027.
Two Beryl e-scooter riders travelling through Brighton
Spot them on the ImJustBrighton app
Here is something you will not read anywhere else. The new ImJustBrighton app will show the Beryl e-scooters, and the bikes, live on its map, so you will be able to see what is available near you right alongside everything else going on in the city. It is one of the first features we are excited to share as the app rolls out.
This article is based on a Brighton and Hove City Council press release and the council's e-scooter trial webpage, with additional reporting. For the latest Brighton and Hove news, visit ImJustBrighton.