London’s long-awaited mass cycle hire scheme will begin on 30 July, Boris Johnson has announced.
A total of 6,000 distinctive-looking bicycles will available for hire from 400 locations dotted around the city. Users will have to pay a small amount to register for the scheme, but the first 30 minutes of each trip will be free.
London mayor, Boris Johnson, said: “In just four months London will glitter with the twinkling dynamo lights of thousands of shiny hire bikes, zipping around the streets unfettered from timetables, queues and crowds.”
How much will the bicycles cost to hire?
The first 30 minutes of bike hire will cost £1. The price means that it will be both quicker and cheaper to use a London hire bike within zone one than to travel by bus or tube.
The equivalent journey by bus could take longer and would cost £2. The single cash fare for the same journey by tube is currently £4.
| Release fee | charged every time a bike is removed from its docking station or on a weekly or annual basis |
|---|---|
| Daily rate | £1 |
| Weekly rate | £5 |
| Annual rate | £45 |
| Hire charges | increases the longer you keep the bike |
|---|---|
| Less than 30 minutes | no charge |
| Less than 60 minutes | £1 |
| Less than 90 minutes | £4 |
| Less than 120 minutes | £6 |
| Less than 150 minutes | £10 |
| Less than £180 minutes | £15 |
| Less than 6 hours | £35 |
| Less than 24 hours | £50 |
What’s in a name?
A mass cycle hire scheme will be welcome addition to London, but what is it to be called?
The Paris cycle hire scheme on which the London version is based is called Velib ( a contraction of the French words for bicycle and freedom), a name that has helped it quickly become part of the city’s culture.
The London Cycle Hire Scheme hardly trips off the tongue in the same way and we await with interest to see if something snappier emerges at today’s launch. If you have an original name, email us and we will pass your suggestion to Transport for London. Failing that, it will have to be ‘Boris Bikes’.
The benefits of cycle insurance
Bikes are vulnerable to theft and in the case of an accident you may need to seek compensation or even deal with a claim by someone else. Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old replacement, third party insurance, personal accident cover and if you breakdown, they will even come out and recover you and your bike.
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