The number of casual CityCycle users has quadrupled since Brisbane City Council slashed subscription fees in response to poorer-than-expected uptake.

But a year to the day after the bicycle hire scheme's launch, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk conceded the service had “not got off to a flying start”.

A tough first year for Brisbane's CityCycle program with one of the wettest summers in the state's history . Credit:Michelle Smith

Latest figures released by the council show people made an average of 416 trips a day on the CityCycle scheme last week, despite more than 1000 bikes being available for their use.

There are some promising signs – 2900 trips were made last week, and the number of people taking out one-day subscriptions shot up after the council cut the casual fee from $11 to $2 a day mid-way through August.