A dock of hire bicycles, similar to the ‘Boris Bikes’ scheme in London, has been installed at Ashford International station.

The first Brompton Dock containing 20 foldable bikes has been opened for commuters and residents to use.

It is the first of four docks to be installed in the county, with other racks being opened at Canterbury West, Maidstone East and Tonbridge stations.

The folded bikes can be taken on to public transport, even at peak times, and users can even take them home.

The scheme, run in partnership with Southeastern Railways, will be launched officially on Friday, May 31.

Managing director of Brompton Dock, Mark Antwis, said: “We are delighted to be operating in four Kent towns. This is our first county-wide scheme and we are really excited about seeing the benefits it can bring, especially in conjunction with the new cycle path.

“The scheme has been designed to suit a range of needs and we look forward to seeing both regular commuters and visitors to the area making the most of our folding bikes.”

Managing director of Southeastern Charles Horton added: “As a cyclist and Brompton user myself I’m delighted that Southeastern is supporting the Brompton Dock scheme, cycling is a great way to get to and from our stations.

“The rapid rise in passenger numbers over the last few years means trains are busier than ever before which means we have to restrict the carriage of conventional bikes during peak periods. However, compact, fold up bikes can be carried at any time, so this scheme is great for both leisure travellers and commuters and we look forward to its roll out to other stations on our network”

To use the bikes, members register online and pay an annual membership fee. They can then hire a bike by text message or reserve a bike or bay online.

Brompton Dock has two tariffs, either ‘frequent’ or ‘leisure’, with frequent users paying £45 each year and then £2.50 per day to hire a bike. Leisure members pay a £10 annual membership fee and then £5 per day to hire a bike.

n Go to www.bromptondock.co.uk