[Anonymous]

[VintageKrug]

I hadn’t got around to signing up for a Boris Bike access key.

But just did it.

Seems to cost £4 for a key and £1 for 24 hour access (no idea what that is), with autobilling to my credit card.

Anyway, the pass is winging its way to VintageKrug Towers, within the next 4 working days.

Here is the signup link if you haven’t yet had an opportunity to sign up:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx

[DNAdams]

I signed up for 1 year access for £45

If one uses a bike for 30 minutes or under each time then there are no further charges.

[Tim2soza]

I have.

It is £45 for a year, and then you get charged by the time you spend using the bike. First 30 mins is free, next 30 is £1, then the price rises sharply. This is to encourage short journeys. FYI, you get £50 allowance and then a ding to your debit / credit card.

+ points
Great iPhone app that tells you where the docking stations (racks of available bikes) are, including live availability. Also beeps at you when your 30 mins is 25 mins done, so you can avoid charges.
New dedicated cycle routes that get you across town faster than a bus. You can go lots of places cars and taxis can’t.
Simple to use once you get used to it.
Great telephone help line.
Fantastic views of London.

– Points
Difficult to find available bikes near a train station in the morning. (You get extra free time, but twice it has taken me 30 mins to find a dock.)
Difficult to dock bikes in popular areas (near any offices) mid morning. They do send vans round moving bikes from full docking stations to empty ones.
(The reverse in the evening, e.g. central locations empty and train station locations full of bikes.)

Advice to Boris..
Add 500% more bikes and docking stations.

Overall impression
– if you can get a bike, it is fab.

[excessbaggage]

Just signed up to the one day access plus key card for £4. Only reason i hadn’t done so before was that i thought you could only do the yearly access option, and i wasn’t convinced how much i would use it. Definitely want to give it a try though, and will report back…

[Tim2soza]

On the cover of the rear wheels of the Boris bikes is a Barclays logo. (Barclays sponsor the scheme.) Some bright spark has had some stickers made up in the same font and colour. The stickers are placed just above word Barclays. The single word on the sticker is not complimentary to the organisation, and rhymes with Duck.

[LuganoPirate]

Perhaps they Repo’d his bike, or maybe cut his bonus!

[LuganoPirate]

Just had a look at the Cycle Superhighway routes, named CS1 etc. I’m amazed no one at Barclays has cottoned on to the fact that “CS” is short for Credit Swiss!!!

[VintageKrug]

As the summer months beckon, an ideal opportunity for those BTers who travel in London to apply for a Boris Bike Key Fob – handy to have one available, just in case you fancy a spin!

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx

[Tim2soza]

I find that on 1-5 tube stop trips, the bike is faster. It will beat most buses. The more you use the bikes, the more you find the cycle lanes, roads and dedicated cut throughs designed to make the trip far more straight line than conventional road routes. There also some dedicated cycle routes that criss cross town with favourable traffic light phasing.

[Tim2soza]

Plus there are no check-in or security delays, and no fees for using a credit card, extra bags, using the loo or speedy boarding. LCC at it’s best!

[Author]

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