Christmas comes early for Boris bikes (Santander cycles) as they race through annual hire record

London’s Santander Cycles, more commonly known to most in the city as Boris bikes, will pedal into the new year with a new record under their seat.

Statistics from from Transport for London (TfL) have revealed the communal bikes have raced through annual hire records, with more than 10.3m journeys made on them so far this year.

Seven of the 11 months completed this year have broken records, with October bringing in the highest total number of journeys at just under 1m. And for anyone who’s planning on whizzing across London on Christmas Day, take note: Boris bikes will be the only form of public transport available, apart from services at Victoria Coach Station.

Read more: Ofo and Urbo are the latest dockless bike-sharing startups to hit London’s streets after oBike and Mobike

“This year has been a remarkable success for Santander Cycles, with the launch of the next generation of bikes and new records being set for the busiest year,” said TfL’s head of cycle hire David Eddington.

“2018 will also be an exciting one as the scheme extends into Brixton in the New Year, allowing even more people to enjoy the benefits of cycling.”

Boris bikes’ extremely limited reach into south London has been a frustration for residents since the scheme began in 2010. But this summer, TfL announced it will provide seven docking stations in the Brixton area with room for 200 bikes.

This was aided by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has allocated “record levels” of funding to London’s cycle infrastructure, according to TfL.

This investment has also helped to roll out the “next generation” of Boris bikes designed by Stratford-upon-Avon’s Pashley Cycles, while emphasis has also been placed on new Cycle Superhighways, “quietways” and a new cyclist and pedestrian bridge linking Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf.

Read more: Hires of Santander Cycles hit fresh record but Brixton launch gets pushed back