Boris launches free London bike hire
Filed under: Personal Finance, News , Taxes, Energy
It's an impressive start: 6,000 bikes-for-hire - even bike-hire-for-free if you pedal quickly - have been dotted around the capital. It's claimed 11,000 people have already signed up to use the new Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, backed by Boris Johnson and Transport for London. Will it get people off the Tube and buses and encourage more people to get fit, weaving in and out of bus lanes and London cabs? Well, the scheme certainly wins plaudits for being "green" and cheap, even if it's also potentially life threatening for the inexperienced.
On yer bike
Available 24 hours a day, no booking needed; you can even book via your mobile. Users can hire up to four cycles at a time (if you're with your mates) and there is no charge for the first half-hour of use. But, golly, the bikes look heavy. And they don't come with locks. That means you can't nip into Pret for a sandwich, leaving your Boris Bike outside (they would be jolly difficult to sell on e-bay). But you can make as many 30-minute trips on a bike per day as you want.
Transport for London, who are behind the scheme, says it's really designed for people who make short, repeat journeys. It's certainly not a conventional hire scheme - the charges rocket by the hour the longer you use it.
Free - up to a point, Lord Johnson
So if you're interested, short hops are the way to go. The scheme claims docking stations are never more than a few hundred meters apart too.Despite the drawbacks mentioned, I think this scheme will be a huge hit, saving many people a lot of cash as well as helping people kick their tube-bus habit. Don't ignore, though, the punishingly punitive £150 late return charge.
Links (opens in new window)
Boris bike gets The Engineer test - The Engineer
Boris admits bike hire problems - Evening Standard
Barclays Bike Hire Scheme - Home page
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-08-2010 @ 7:54AM
Deborah Thomas said...
Not being negative, All seems well until you start hearing about accidents. It is well and good that there are bikes all over the place but the responsibility of riding these bikes fall solely on the riders and just as you have irresponsible drivers on our roads, you are bound to get the careless cyclists too. I hope the mayor is well prepared for all the potential mishaps that are likely to go side by side this wonderful new scheme.
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8-13-2010 @ 10:20AM
sean said...
Another example of the government competing with small business. Bike hire businesses now are out of business. The government are too hard to compete against..They now are also cashing in on hire cars for london city, competing with hire car companies using the congestion charge inclusive as an incentive – how can you compete with that. Next they will be opening coffee shops!!
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