Brighton is often nicknamed London by the sea, and now the city is adopting a similar scheme to London’s famous Boris Bike with the Hourbike.

Hourbike are supplying 430 bikes and associated equipment to Brighton which will be placed in fifty different locations around the city. Whilst no locations have been officially announced, the seafront and Brighton Station are expected to be potential bike hubs and thanks to the scheme operating down the A27, it’s thought to stretch to the University campus sites in Falmer too.

As anyone from the city knows, it’s a highly picturesque location and during the summer in particular, there’s so much to look at you don’t want to cram onto a stuffy bus. What could be better than riding along on a bike and taking in the views and fresh sea air that way?

Bike hire costs will start from £2 per trip or £8 per day with users having the option to pay as they go on a 3p per minute tariff (minimum £2 charge) or purchase an annual membership at £72, which includes 30 minutes free use every day.

Gill Mitchell, lead member for environment and sustainability at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “This is an exciting scheme that should work well for the city. The aim is to provide a flexible service that will give more choice to those who live, work or visit the city – providing an opportunity to cycle, even if you don’t own a bike or can’t bring one with you.”

Tim Caswell, managing director, Hourbike Ltd, added: “We’re thrilled to have been selected to deliver a new bike sharing scheme for Brighton & Hove. We know the number of people travelling around the city by bike is increasing so we’re looking forward to helping build on this with an additional cost-effective travel option.”

What are your thoughts? Are you excited to get cycling round the city? Let us know in the comments below…