TfL and Santander celebrate ten years of London’s flagship cycle hire scheme

7 Jan 2020 02:53 PM

More than 87 million hires have been made since TfL launched cycle hire in the capital on 30 July 2010.

This year, Transport for London TfL and Santander will celebrate the tenth anniversary of cycle hire in the capital, with a series of events, competitions and offers throughout 2020.

TfL launched London's flagship cycle hire scheme on 30 July 2010 across eight London boroughs with 315 docking stations. Now there are more than 12,000 bikes available from 781 docking stations.

In the past decade users have made more than 87 million hires, with over 10 million hires in 2019 for the fourth year in a row and 34,500 hires on Christmas Day. New docking stations around parks and extra capacity at busy rail stations has helped ensure another strong year of hires.

This spring, five new docking stations will open along Cycleway 4 in Southwark and there are plans to expand docking stations along Cycleways going forward.

New docking stations are already in place at Blackfriars, Victoria, Queensway and Paddington railway stations and extra capacity has been added recently around London Bridge station.

Unique prizes

Celebrations to mark ten years of cycle hire in London will begin with a search to find the scheme's most dedicated users and, to say thank you, TfL and Santander want to reward users with unique prizes that money can't buy.

TfL and Santander are searching for people who hired the cycles within the first year of the scheme, people who have completed the most journeys or people who have a unique story to share about the cycles.

Each month a winner will be selected, and these 12 winners will be rewarded with a Santander Cycles named after them, free annual membership and other prizes.

People can share their experiences of the cycle hire scheme by emailing cyclehire10@tfl.gov.uk for a chance to win*.

Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, yesterday said:

“The London cycle hire scheme has gone from strength to strength over the past decade, and like many I now couldn't imagine our city without it.

“I'm delighted that the scheme is set to expand even further in 2020 to enable more Londoners to take to two wheels - helping improve our health and tackle congestion and air pollution at the same time.”

Fabric of London

Helen Sharp, Head of Business Development for Cycle Hire at TfL, yesterday said:

“Over the last ten years our cycle hire scheme has become part of the fabric of London life.

“The cycles have helped millions of people discover the joy of cycling and we want to thank everyone who has shared this incredible journey with us through a series of events, competitions and offers this year. We hope these celebrations will help inspire even more people to take to two wheels.”

Dan Sherwood, Interim Chief Marketing Officer, Santander UK, yesterday said:

“It's incredible to celebrate 10 years since the scheme launched.

“Over that time Santander Cycles has evolved to cover more than 100km2 of London, ensuring more communities than ever can benefit from the fantastic scheme. We look forward to another exciting year of success in 2020.”

Fran Graham, Campaigns Coordinator at London Cycling Campaign, yesterday said:

“Santander Cycles rightly take their place alongside the double decker as an iconic London transport mode, much loved by millions of Londoners.

“And as the network of safe cycle routes grows, these are enabling more and more people to experience the joy, ease and benefits that come with cycling.

“The scheme's success shows Londoners want more active travel choices, and is helping our city cut air pollution, inactivity and climate-changing emissions, as the bikes are increasingly being used to hop to business meetings, for commuters to get to work and by tourists pootling round our iconic parks.”

More travel choices

TfL and Santander will also celebrate two special dates in 2020, the fifth anniversary of Santander's sponsorship in May and the scheme's official birthday in July.

This year will also see a range of events marking the 20th anniversary of Transport for London.

Santander Cycles is vital for getting more people on bikes and more than half of cycle hire users started cycling in London because of the scheme. This is why the Mayor is committed to developing the Santander Cycles scheme, to give more people across London access to a bike.

To find your nearest Santander Cycles docking station, visit tfl.gov.uk/santandercycles

Notes to Editors 

*Terms and Conditions for the Cycle Hire 10th anniversary competition can be found here - tfl.gov.uk/corporate/terms-and-conditions/competitions

10 years of cycle hire in London

About Santander Cycles