Transport for London to make paying for Boris bikes simpler
Transport for London (TfL) is hoping to boost the number of bums on bikes by simplifying the payment scheme.
Customers who want to use Boris Johnson’s flagship scheme currently have to negotiate eight different pricing categories.
But from 2 January onwards, the charges will be set at a flat £2 per 30 minutes following the initial free half hour. Budding cyclists must also pay £2 for daily bike access and a £90 yearly membership fee.
Nick Aldworth, general manager at Cycle Hire, said the changes were based on customers’ feedback that requested a simple structure.
TfL will also be building a number of new docking stations near Putney Pier, Vauxhall, Tower Bridge and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The second-largest cycle hire scheme in Europe currently covers over 100 square km of London with more than 10,000 bikes. TfL says that this summer saw a record number of cycle hire journeys between June and September.
Since 2010, more than 36m journeys have been made on Cycle Hire according to TfL’s figures.
Boris Johnson commented:
This has been a fantastic year for Cycle Hire, hitting record numbers of riders and increasing the number of bikes and docking stations we have.We’re looking forward to another bumper year ahead, as more people reap the health and convenience benefits of jumping on to one of our bikes to get around the capital.