BIKE stands are being installed in and around Stourbridge town centre ahead of plans to introduce 'Boris Bikes' to the borough later this month.

The West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme will see distinctive grey and green bikes available for hire from docking stations at key sites including Stourbridge Bus Station, near The Bonded Warehouse and in the town centre.

Having been introduced in Wolverhampton and Coventry, the scheme is now being rolled out in Stourbridge.

Bikes can be hired using the Beryl Cycle Hire app, which will include Covid safety advice, and later this year they will also be available via the new Swift App which will be the first app for the West Midlands to offer ticket purchases, departure information, journey planning, car hire and more in one place.

It costs £1 to unlock a bike and 5p per minute after that. A 20-minute cycle ride will cost £2 and £4 for an hour.

The pedal cycles have three gears and are fitted with high quality laser safety lights.

Balvinder Heran, deputy chief executive at Dudley Council, said: "This is a great scheme to encourage people to be more active in their local communities as well as giving people an alternative option to using the car and therefore reducing car journeys and local levels of pollution.

"We’ve spoken to local people about how the scheme will be rolled out in Stourbridge and if successful we hope to roll this out in other areas across the borough."

The cycle hire scheme has been delivered by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to encourage more people to become active and healthy and offer a convenient and more environmentally-friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys.

The cycles for rent were dubbed 'Boris Bikes' as Boris Johnson was Mayor of London when the initiative began in the capital's Santander Cycle Hire scheme began operating.

When fully rolled-out later this year, there will be 170 fixed docking stations and 1,500 bikes for hire across the region - of which 150 will be powered e-bikes.

The five-year contract with Serco, operator of London’s Santander Cycle Hire scheme, offers the opportunity for more docks and bikes to be provided as demand increases.