Santander Cycles London

How the Scheme Works | Docking Stations | Information | Lime Bikes

Santander Cycles is a public bicycle hire scheme in London.

The scheme began in 2010 while Boris Johnson was the mayor of London – hence their nickname of “Boris Bikes.”

They were originally sponsored by Barclays Bank with blue fittings. Santander, another high street bank, now sponsors the scheme.

Usage of the bikes can reach up to 70,000 hires a day.

Santander Bikes at a Docking Station in London.

Santander Cycles at a Docking Station in London

How the Scheme Works

Users can access the Transport for London (TfL) website and buy access for 24 hours or one year. Users receive a key in the post costing £3 to use the docking stations.

Up to four keys can be registered on one account. The key allows the user to release a bike from the docking station.

Alternatively, a credit or debit card can be used in a docking station to release a bicycle.

The Santander app allows a user to have release codes sent to their mobile phones, as well as easily locate docking stations on a map.

The bikes are known as Boris Bikes and were originally sponsored by Barclays Bank

Docking Stations

There are 12,000 bicycles at around 800 docking stations all over London. The official site (see below) has a map showing them all. They are often located near tube stations. For example near Westminster tube station, there are docking stations at Abingdon Green, Storey’s Gate, and Westminster Pier.

The city has a comprehensive system of bike lanes and cyclists can also ride through many of London’s parks.

Get around the UK capital on a Boris Bike

Prices

Presently, hiring a Santander Cycle costs £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes, within a 24-hour period. For journeys longer than 30 minutes, you pay £2 for each additional 30 minutes. Users must return the bike within 24 hours.

Santander Bikes are a fun way to get around London

Information

TfL Customer Services
4th Floor
14 Pier Walk
London SE10 0ES
Tel: 0343 222 6666
www: tfl.gov.uk

Contact Hours: 7 am – 8 pm Monday to Friday; 9 am – 7 pm on weekends.

Map of Docking Stations in London

Map of London

A Lime e-bike in London

Lime

Lime is the other big ride-sharing company in the capital. Lime’s e-bikes were used for 2.4 million trips during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. Once you have the app, the bikes cost £1 to unlock and 15p per minute to ride. All the bikes have front and rear lights that come on once you start pedaling, You can park just about anywhere except in the red zones marked on the app.