Greater Manchester’s Bee Bike hire scheme will be rebranded to Starling Bank bikes as part of a sponsorship deal from February.

The bikes, docking stations, and app will feature Starling Bank branding from next month, with transport bosses calling it the largest commercial sponsorship in Transport for Greater Manchester’s history.

Starling Bank, which already employs 3,200 people in London, Cardiff and Southampton, recently chose Manchester as the home for its northern expansion.

The digital bank’s new office in Manchester St Peter’s Square will be home to more than 1,000 job roles.

TfGM says its bike hire scheme has gained 72,000 active users since launching in November 2021, with more than 1.5 million kilometres collectively ridden so far.    

Money generated from Starling’s sponsorship will be reinvested into the scheme, supporting ongoing operational costs, such as bike and stand maintenance and future expansion, TfGM said.

Earlier this year, Mayor Andy Burnham appealed to Greater Manchester residents to stop vandalising the bikes, after a spike that left most of them needing repair.

As a result, many docking stations across the city were suspended to ensure the lower number of bikes could be accessed reliably. Some stations still remain out of order.

According to TfGM, the long-term ambition is to grow the scheme beyond its current footprint of Manchester, Trafford and Salford to other boroughs in Greater Manchester.

In December, TfGM announced a vision to expand the service to 8,000 bikes across the city-region, with plans to bring bike hire to every borough.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: “We’re delighted to have Starling Bank on board as the first official sponsor of our bike hire scheme.

“The bikes have become part of the city’s fabric over the last two years and support our Bee Network ambition to deliver transport options that are affordable, convenient and sustainable.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Starling Bank’s employees to Manchester following the opening of their new office in St Peter’s Square – this is once again another ringing endorsement of our city-region and what it has to offer for businesses, particularly those in the fintech industry.”

Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner said: “The bike hire scheme is a key part of building the integrated Bee Network, providing versatile and affordable journeys for people using both electric and standard cycles, across Manchester and into Trafford and Salford. 

“Since its inception ridership has rapidly grown, with more than 72,000 regular users now signed up and the 1.5 million kilometres ridden milestone now reached.

“Average ride times are 10-15 minutes, making the bikes a popular choice for short local journeys.

“With big ambitions to expand the scheme, this new sponsorship from Starling Bank will provide vital resources to help realise that vision. I look forward to seeing the newly branded bikes out on the network and working with the team at Transport for Greater Manchester on the plans for bikes in new areas.”

Susanna Yallop, chief people pfficer at Starling Bank said: “There was no question that Manchester would be home to our next phase of growth; we’ve hired some incredible talent here and have ambitious plans for further job creation.

“We look forward to seeing how our investment in Starling Bank Bikes will boost the breadth of the cycle scheme, and Starling’s presence in the North.”      

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