London’s cycle hire scheme to launch on July 30

The long-awaited cycle hire scheme for the capital will launch on July 30, with the Mayor of London today announcing Barclays as the scheme’s sponsor. Details posted on the Transport for London (TFL) website state that the bicycles will be available 24 hours per day from July 30, with 400 pick up and drop off docking stations throughout central (roughly equating to zone 1 on a tube map). To hire a bicycle users will have to pay an access fee, with options ranging from £1 for 24 hours, £5 for seven days, or £45 for a year (although the yearly option is only available to members, who must pay a £3 one-off charge for a chip-enabled membership key). After this the usage charges are as follows:

• Up to 30 minutes: free
• Up to one hour: £1
• Up to 1 hour 30 minutes: £4
• Up to 2 hours: £6
• Up to 2 hours 30 minutes: £10
• Up to 3 hours: £15
• Up to 6 hours: £35
• Up to 24 hours (maximum usage fee): £50

There are also charges for late returns (£150), damage (up to £300), and non-return (£300). The scheme is aimed at short rentals, with prices increasing rapidly once users pass the one hour mark, and TFL freely admits that those looking to cycle for longer than a couple of hours might find it cheaper “to use a company that specialises in hiring bicycles”. TFL says that there will be docking stations “every 300m or so”, with a total of 10,200 docking spaces, and each docking station will have maps to help users find their way. For more information visit tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire. Report by Mark Caswell