| Frank and Honest Belfast Bikes | |
| Locale: | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Transit Type: | Bicycle sharing system |
| Website: | belfastbikes.co.uk |
| Began Operation: | 27 April 2015 |
| Vehicles: | 632 |
| Stations: | 45 |
| Operator: | NSL |
| Owner: | Belfast City Council |
Belfast Bikes, also known for sponsorship reasons as Frank and Honest Belfast Bikes as is a public bicycle rental scheme which has operated in the city of Belfast since April 2015. At its launch, the scheme, which was then sponsored by Coca-Cola HBC, used 300 Unisex bicycles with 30 stations.
Belfast City Council owns the scheme. The Department for Regional Development (DRD) provided initial capital funding for the scheme as part of their Active Travel Demonstration Projects budget. NSL is looking after the daily operation of the scheme, while Nextbike is responsible for the bikes.
Starting initially with 30 stations, the number has increased to 59, and has expanded beyond the city centre area. This includes two stations at Queen's University Belfast (the cost of which was covered by the University), one close to the Titanic Belfast Convention Centre, and at the Mater, Royal Victoria and Belfast City Hospitals (the cost covered by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust). Over recent years, the scheme has expanded into residential areas across the city.
Plans for expansion are ratified by vote by Belfast City Council Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
At its launch the scheme was sponsored by Coca-Cola HBC for a three-year period and was known as Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes.[1] In April 2018 this sponsorship deal ended and after a tendering process Just Eat were named as the new sponsors in August 2018 with the scheme to be branded as Just Eat Belfast Bikes. The latest scheme sponsor (June 2024) is Frank and Honest Coffee Company owned by Irish grocery wholesaler Musgrave Group.[2]
To use the system, users need to take out a subscription, which allows the subscriber an unlimited number of rentals. Subscribers can get an Annual Hire Card costing £25, or a 3-day ticket costing £6.[3] Users also authorise Belfast Bikes to charge £120 from their credit card if the bike is not returned. The first half-hour of every journey is free, after that a service charge applies. There is also a popular pay-as-you go option. See below for pricing structure:
| Time | 30 min | 1 hr | 2 hrs | 3 hrs | 4 hrs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | Free | £0.50 | £1.50 | £2.50 | £3.50 |
In response to a Freedom of Information request, Belfast City Council published financial figures relating to subsidies to the scheme. In its first year, the Council subsidised it to the tune of £173,000. From April 2016 to April 2017, this increased to £215,000, despite a Business Case showing subsidies would reduce from £56,440 (April 2015 to April 2016), £23,050 (April 2016 - April 2017) and return a profit of £10,730 (April 2017 - April 2018).[4]
| Name | Bikes | Launch Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Street / St Malachy's Church | 14 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Arthur Street / Chichester Street | 18 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Bankmore Square / Dublin Road | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Botanic Avenue / Shaftesbury Square | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Bradbury Place | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Carrick Hill / St Patricks Church | 12 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Castle Place / Royal Avenue | 22 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Cathedral Gardens / York Street | 20 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Central Station / East Bridge Street | 20 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Central Station / Mays Meadow | 20 | 27 April 2015 | |
| City Hall | 20 | 27 April 2015 | |
| College Square East | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Corporation Square | 14 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Cotton Court / Waring Street | 12 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Donegall Quay | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Dunbar Link / Gordon Street | 8 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Duncairn Centre / Antrim Road | 8 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Europa Bus Station / Blackstaff Square | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Gasworks (Cromac Street) | 12 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Gasworks (Lagan Towpath) | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Great Victoria Street / Hope Street | 18 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Linenhall Street / Donegall Square South | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Millfield / Divis Street | 18 | 27 April 2015 | |
| North Street / Waring Street | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Odyssey / Sydenham Road | 22 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Royal Avenue / Castlecourt | 12 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Smithfield / Winetavern Street | 12 | 27 April 2015 | |
| St George's Market / Cromac Square | 12 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Victoria Square / Victoria Street | 10 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Waterfront | 24 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Writer's Square / St Anne's Cathedral | 16 | 27 April 2015 | |
| Queens University / Botanic Gardens | 14 | 27 November 2015 | |
| Queens University / University Road | 16 | 27 November 2015 | |
| Titanic Quarter | 18 | 1 December 2015 | |
| Belfast City Hospital / Lisburn Road | 14 | 1 August 2016 | |
| Royal Victoria Hospital | 20 | 1 August 2016 | |
| Mater Hospital / Crumlin Road | 10 | 7 September 2016 | |
| Girdwood Community Hub | 18 | 13 October 2016 | |
| Shankill Leisure Centre | 18 | 13 October 2016 | |
| CS Lewis Square | 16 | 22 November 2016 |