Transport for London (TfL) has announced that e-bikes will be introduced in London’s Santander Cycles scheme from 12 September 2022.
The scheme experienced a historic year in 2021 with a record-breaking number of hires. Building upon this success, the scheme recorded its busiest month ever in July 2022, with more than 1.3 million hires.
To support this continued success and financial sustainability, TfL and Santander are now introducing 500 e-bikes into the fleet.
The e-bikes are being introduced as part of a programme to modernise London’s cycle hire scheme. The new e-bikes will be distributed across key locations in central London to help combat barriers that stop people from cycling.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:I am delighted to be launching our first ever e-bikes for hire. Another first for London hot on the heels of another record-breaking month for Santander Cycles, which saw an incredible 1.3m journeys in July. It will be great to see these new e-bikes on London's streets soon.
I'm determined to continue building a cleaner, greener London for everyone and this includes making cycling as accessible as possible. The new Santander Cycles e-bikes will play an important role in helping to break down some of the barriers that stop people from getting on a bike, including fitness, age and length of journey.
TfL will also be making changes to the Santander Cycles fare tariff from 12 September:
- A new flat rate of 1.65 GBP per 30-minute ride will replace the existing daily access charge
- A new monthly membership option will cost 20 GBP per month
- The annual membership will now offer unlimited 60-minute rides for standard bikes, instead of the 30-minute rides currently offered. This will cost 120 GBP a year
- E-bikes will be available for a fare of 3.30 GBP per 30-minute ride or an additional fare of 1 GBP for every 60 minutes for monthly and annual members
In addition, TfL has confirmed that new docking stations will open in the London Borough of Southwark later this year thanks to funding from Southwark Council.
David Eddington, TfL's Head of Cycle Hire, said:Santander Cycles is a vital part of London's transport system and is more popular than ever, with the scheme seeing 11 record-breaking months in a row. We want to make sure that the scheme continues to be one of the easiest and most sustainable ways of travelling in the capital. The new bikes, alongside our simpler new tariff, will ensure that the scheme can build on this success and be financially sustainable, playing a full role in a green and healthy future for London.
