Brisbane's maligned CityCycle bicycle hire scheme has cost the city more than $8 million since it was introduced, but key stakeholders have insisted things could easily be turned around with some simple adjustments.

Introduced in 2010 by then-lord mayor Campbell Newman, who was impressed with a similar scheme in Paris during a family holiday in Europe, the CityCycles have been slow off the mark.

Key stakeholders have offered advice on how to make Brisbane's CityCycle scheme more attractive to users. Credit:Michelle Smith

According to a Brisbane City Council spokeswoman, there were 300,000 CityCycle trips in the 2014-15 financial year – up 16 per cent from the previous year.

"More than 1.2 million trips have now been made using CityCycle since its inception in 2010 and it continues to grow in popularity for both residents and visitors alike," she said.