The London Bike Hire Scheme: the quickest way to travel in London?
67
Taxis are easy to find in Central London. For a group, the price is reasonable- the meter starts at £1.40, and rises by 20p every 219 meters of your journey.For one person this can be a bit steep.
Why use the London bike hire scheme?
As with many major cities, getting around London can be tough going. The buses are slow and you will spend more time in traffic jams than you will in motion, The tube is fast but you need to get to a station, negotiate the elevators and then wait for a train. This can take as long as the journey.
If you use a car to travel into Central London, you are likely to regret it unless you know your way around and don't mind the sky high parking costs. If you park in the wrong place you will almost certainly be wheel clamped- those private contractors are efficent. If you want to stay in one place for more than a couple of hours you will need to 'feed the meter'. If you get caught doing this it will mean a hefty fine.
So how do you get around quickly and easily?
One of quickest and most convenient ways to travel is by taxi but these are expensive. Bikes are quick and cheap but its not always convenient to bring your own into Central London.
The latest way to get about London is to hire a bicycle from the municipal scheme. Similar schemes operate successfully in many other cities but only began in London in July 2010.
Questions are being asked about the scheme like:
- Is it economical?
- Where do you find the bikes?
- Is it safe?
- How does it all work?
There are a few answers below.
Areas with Docking Stations.
London Bike Hire Scheme Costs
The keys cost £3 and the cost of using the cycles varies from £1 for an hour to £50 for 24 hours. The high fees charged for more than an hour are designed to discourage people from hogging the bikes.
In the early days of the scheme, there could be a significant shortage. 12,000 keys have been given out already which is about double the number of bikes available.
Details:
To Join the Scheme
- £1 one day
- £5 one week (7 days)
- £45 annual membership
Cycle Hire Use Charges
- Free up to 30 minutes
- £1 from 30 minutes to 1 hour
- £4 up to 1.5 hours
- £6 up to 2 hours
- £10 up to 2.5 hours
- £15 up to 3 hours
- £35 up to 6 hours
- £50 up to 24 hours (maximum usage fee)
If you don't return your bike, or you bring it back late or damaged, you may be charged up to £300.
There is no integration between the oyster card system and the bike hire scheme, as yet.
How it Works
If you are a casual user you can get a password online or from one of the bike docking stations with a credit or debit card. This password is entered into a keypad at the docking station and a second password is issued that allows you to unlock one of the bikes.
If you are a member of the scheme you are given a key which will unlock the bikes directly.
When you try to unlock a bike a light comes on- red tells you the bike is unavailable, yellow means it is checking your details, green means grab it and go (before it changes it's mind).
A Radio Frequency Identification Device in the bike alllows the bikes position to be monitored and helps determine how long you have had the bike and how much you should pay.
Are the Bikes Safe?
They have a very tough build that should see them through forty thousand miles. Mechanics check the bikes every two weeks to make sure the brakes and steering up to scratch. You should still check your bike for yourself.
After this there is only the London traffic to cope with. You will be lucky to find bike lanes that take you on your entire journey so you will be mingling with 'white van man' and the bloke who just remembered it was his turn to pick up the kids,
Some Tips
The bikes come with locks and it is your responsibility to protect them from theft. It will cost you 300 pounds if you lose one without a very good excuse!
My top tip after 5 years of cycling in London is to make use of the parks, There are plenty of them and they relax and refresh you for the turmoil of the big intersections. A safety helmet is also a good idea. About ten cyclists die on their bikes every year in Central London.
What about the Hills?
Luckily Central London is pretty flat. The 23 kg hire bikes come with three gears and you should never suffer the indignity of having to get off and push.
Is it Green?
Certainly,
Will You save the Planet?
Not on your own, sadly. But then again you will be helping...
Is it Quick?
A broadcast on TV news suggested a bike was quicker than either a bus or the tube. Three people set off from from Charing Cross Station to travel to Marble Arch. The bike rider arrived first, with the tube rider ten minutes after him and the bus passenger 37 minutes after that.
Where are the London Hire Scheme Bikes?
There is an interactive map of the bike docking stations here:
https://web.barclayscyclehire.tfl.gov.uk/maps
Look out for smart phone apps too,
Every major railway station has a docking station as well as most tourist attractions and important shopping area and government buildings.
Find a London Bike Hire Scheme Bike with Android Apps
CommentsLoading...
BP don't have the money to afford cute, anymore. Can't you give them some of that oil back?
Interesting. Do they have anywhere to park outside Westminster? I have seen lots of cycle parks with these bikes in central London, but as soon as you veer out not very far there is nothing. At least not that I've seen. I also haven't seen any of these cycles in use, do people cover up the barclays logo so they can't be identified?? lol
The docking stations stretch from Maida Vale in the North to Nine Elms in the South (if you can call that the South) and from West Kensington to Bethnal Green going West to East.
In other words, it is pretty much the whole of Central London.
There is a link for the full map of locations above- under 'Where are the Bikes?'.
nicomp Level 6 Commenter 21 months ago
Very interesting and informative! London would be an amazing place to tour on an almost free bike. The official How To video is very cute. Perhaps we can get BP to create a similar service in the colonies...