Following a competitive tender process West Midlands Combined Authority has appointed PHAR Partnerships as its exclusive sponsorship agency, with a brief to secure a sponsor for the region’s new cycle hire scheme: West Midlands Cycle Hire. Initially launched as a limited trial in February work is now under way to roll out the 1500 bikes out to 170 fixed docking stations across all seven authorities in the West Midlands region – Birmingham (including The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield), Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Walsall. Over 1000 pedal bikes have been rolled out between February- June 2021. There will also be opportunities to use virtual geo-fenced docking areas to meet demand or for large scale events such as the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Once the initial roll-out is complete the scheme will be the largest in the UK outside London with 1,500 bikes of which 10 per cent will be e-bikes. Future growth is then planned to increase the number of pedal and e-bikes and potentially to include e-scooters as well. PHAR has become the industry leader in sponsorships for cycle hire schemes, appointed to consult on the sponsorship opportunity for schemes for Transport for London and Transport for Greater Manchester as well as Transport for West Midlands, and recently securing a major seven-figure deal for sponsorship of the Glasgow and Cardiff schemes. Sandeep Shingadia, Director of Development and Delivery, Transport for West Midlands commented: “Sponsorship is an extremely important thing to get right to ensure the success of West Midlands Cycle Hire, not just in terms of the funding but also in teaming up with the right commercial partner who shares the vision that the scheme has been created to deliver. Cycle hire was rolled out across the region between March and early June and is proving popular having nearing its 100,000th journey. We are very pleased to be working with PHAR, who have impressed us with their knowledge, expertise and guidance in helping us find the right sponsorship scheme for our cycle hire.” Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, added: “We have already rolled out our cycle hire scheme across eight town and city centres, and it is proving very popular with people using our bikes both for their commute and just for fun. Now we are looking to find a sponsorship partner to help us grow the scheme further and reach even more communities and more locations - and we have appointed PHAR to help us do just that. We are putting unprecedented investment in our cycling and walking infrastructure because it is a great alternative to the car for shorter journeys, good for the environment, good for people’s health, and great fun.” “We are absolutely delighted to be working with WMCA on this fantastic sponsorship opportunity,” said Marcus Wight CEO of PHAR Partnerships. “Sustainability, community and social value have become increasingly important to all major brands, and there are few better examples around of on-the-ground initiatives which enable people to make an active difference than are provided by cycle hire schemes. The West Midlands scheme is the most important new scheme in the UK since London’s launched back in 2010, and has the potential to deliver massive value to a sponsor through multiple touchpoints and associations.”
