Office commuters boost TfL’s cycle hire numbers for September
Workers returning to the office after the UK Government eased restrictions helped Transport for London’s (TfL) bicycle hire scheme jump to more than a million total hires, registering the highest September in the scheme’s 11 year history.
Data from TfL showed that more than 40,000 people used the service every day, with an average of 7,573 hires made between 7am and 10 am on weekdays, the highest increase since March 2020.
Passenger use has also gone up compared with pre-pandemic levels, as the daily numbers for September 2017, 2018 and 2019 were around 32,323 hires.
“Santander Cycles were a lockdown lifeline for many Londoners, so I’m delighted that the scheme is now playing a key part in London’s recovery from the pandemic,” said London’s walking and cycling commissioner. “Our record September hires echoes the wider trend of more Londoners choosing to cycle.”
The scheme has also reached the milestone of 10 million hires through the app, which allows riders to bypass the terminal, accessing the unlocking code via their phone.
“As we continue to enhance it further and as the cycle scheme continues to grow, we hope even more people will choose Santander cycles as an alternative and sustainable way to get around the city,” said Santander’s UK director of marketing Dan Sherwood.
The bank has recently announced that it will sponsor the scheme – once sponsored by Barclays – until 2025, in the meantime working with TfL towards introducing 500 electric bikes starting from next summer.