Transport for London (TfL) has expanded its Santander Cycle Hire Scheme, with an additional 900 e-bikes now available for hire.
This expansion aims to enhance the scheme’s capacity and accessibility across London. It forms part of TfL’s initiative to more than triple its number of e-bikes by the end of summer 2024, bringing the total to 2,000.
Since their introduction in 2022, the e-bikes have set usage records, with over one million hires recorded. They are being hired at about twice the rate of traditional bikes, highlighting their popularity and effectiveness.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:Our Santander e-bikes are proving extremely popular with Londoners and so I'm delighted we're tripling our e-bike fleet this summer. These additional bikes will enable even more people to cycle for shorter journeys, helping build a better, fairer and greener London for everyone.
By encouraging more people to cycle, the increased availability of e-bikes is expected to bring numerous benefits, including improved public health and reduced air pollution.
E-bikes also help to overcome common barriers to cycling, such as fitness levels and journey length.
David Eddington, TfL's Head of Cycle Hire, said:Santander Cycles is a vital part of London's transport system, and the scheme has gone from strength to strength, with cycle hire in the capital now an integral part of travel.
These additional e-bikes will give more people in London an opportunity to try these brilliant bikes and use them more often. Santander Cycles has played an important role in encouraging more people to cycle and we'll continue to improve the scheme to ensure a greener and healthier future for everyone in London. We look forward to completing our expansion by the end of summer.
The Santander e-bikes are available to registered users at a cost of 3.30 GBP per 30-minute ride, or 1 GBP per 60 minutes for monthly and annual members.
In addition to increasing the number of e-bikes, TfL is expanding the Cycleway network to make cycling safer and more accessible. London now has over 390 kilometres of dedicated cycle routes.
This financial year, TfL plans to work with London’s boroughs to further extend these routes, with 19.5 million GBP in funding allocated for new Cycleways in areas such as Lea Bridge, Dalston, Deptford, and Hammersmith.
