Cycle Hire scheme.
Request ID: FOI-1098-1718
Date published: 05 September 2017
You asked
Follow on from: FOI-0894-1718
Was 2010/11 the first year of the cycle hire scheme?
Separately from that do you have data on the costs of implementing the cycle lanes etc.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-1098-1718
Thank you for your request received on 8 August 2017 asking for further information about the Santander Cycle Hire Scheme.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:
Cost of Boris Bikes, capital, annual, life, mileage and income
Per bike: Capital cost
Our apologies for the confusion around the price of the bike. To clarify and correct our answer, the cost of the bike previously provided at £1095.47 was a historic price. The price paid historically has fluctuated depending on the exchange rate, and how many bikes were ordered in batches for each phase of the scheme’s expansion. The price we pay currently for a bike is £1145.60 and all prices quoted include purchase from the supplier, full assembly and getting each bike road worthy to use in the scheme.
Annual running plus admin costs
Table 7, in your reference, provides the “Operating Expenditure” . Please tell me what is included in that. Presumable it includes bike maintenance, collection and distribution but does it include admin or any of the costs associated with the infrastructure e.g. the provision and maintenance of the cycle lanes?. Also do the numbers in that table refer to millions or to thousands of pounds (it cannot be mere £s which is what the table says)?
The Cycle Hire Scheme started operation in July 2010. The Cycle Hire scheme is not responsible for the provision or maintenance of cycle lanes, therefore the cycle lanes do not form part of the operating costs of the Scheme.
The Operating Expenditure includes all operational costs related to running the Cycle Hire Scheme; including general upkeep of the bikes and docking stations, collection and distribution of bikes, the contact centre facility, running costs such as IT, rent, rates and back-office staff.
The numbers in the previous table refer to millions.
Can you add the numbers of bikes in service for each of the years in that table along with the numbers purchased in each of those years plus either(a) the cost per bike or (b) the annual total cost of purchase and assembly, if the costs per bike differs year to year from the figure you have already given? Among other that would enable the retirement rate to be calculated so providing a useful check on the presumed life-span, whilst adding definition to the costs
Date Year Purchases System total bikes Changes to total bikes Theoretical Operational Bikes
01/08/2010 2010 6600
01/08/2011 2011 6520 6520
01/09/2011 2011 6558 38 6558
01/10/2011 2011 6588 30 6588
01/11/2011 2011 6596 8 6596
01/12/2011 2011 6598 2 6598
01/01/2012 2012 6603 5 6603
01/02/2012 2012 6617 14 6617
01/03/2012 2012 2600 6765 148 6765
01/04/2012 2012 9200 2435 9200
01/05/2012 2012 9202 2 9202
01/06/2012 2012 9202 0 9202
01/07/2012 2012 9202 0 9202
01/08/2012 2012 9203 1 9203
01/09/2012 2012 9212 9 8904
01/10/2012 2012 9214 2 8861
01/11/2012 2012 9227 13 8710
01/12/2012 2012 9227 0 8719
01/01/2013 2013 9229 2 8710
01/02/2013 2013 9409 180 8827
01/03/2013 2013 9414 5 8849
01/04/2013 2013 9415 1 8864
01/05/2013 2013 9416 1 8883
01/06/2013 2013 9417 1 8848
01/07/2013 2013 9417 0 8827
01/08/2013 2013 9648 231 8998
01/09/2013 2013 250 9657 9 8965
01/10/2013 2013 9597 -60 8970
01/11/2013 2013 9937 340 8990
01/12/2013 2013 2400 11456 1519 9124
01/01/2014 2014 11778 322 10853
01/02/2014 2014 12069 291 10928
01/03/2014 2014 12069 0 10984
01/04/2014 2014 12072 3 11125
01/05/2014 2014 12430 358 11499
01/06/2014 2014 800 12431 1 11480
01/07/2014 2014 12441 10 11377
01/08/2014 2014 12574 133 11475
01/09/2014 2014 12725 151 11489
01/10/2014 2014 12726 1 11433
01/11/2014 2014 12726 0 11375
01/12/2014 2014 12873 147 11507
01/01/2015 2015 12874 1 11539
01/02/2015 2015 12875 1 11495
01/03/2015 2015 12880 5 11488
01/04/2015 2015 12880 0 11501
01/05/2015 2015 12880 0 11443
01/06/2015 2015 12880 0 11432
01/07/2015 2015 236 12936 56 11331
01/08/2015 2015 13040 104 11309
01/09/2015 2015 13040 0 11239
01/10/2015 2015 13108 68 11278
01/11/2015 2015 13110 2 11283
01/12/2015 2015 13245 135 11391
01/01/2016 2016 13393 148 11589
01/02/2016 2016 555 13404 11 11596
01/03/2016 2016 13406 2 11596
01/04/2016 2016 13425 19 11594
01/05/2016 2016 13865 440 12002
01/06/2016 2016 13961 96 12049
01/07/2016 2016 14015 54 11982
01/08/2016 2016 13985 -30 11861
01/09/2016 2016 14083 98 11814
01/10/2016 2016 14212 129 11868
01/11/2016 2016 14340 128 11906
01/12/2016 2016 14341 1 11916
01/01/2017 2017 14563 222 12095
01/02/2017 2017 14565 2 12082
01/03/2017 2017 14565 0 12060
01/04/2017 2017 14698 133 12180
Total 13441 14698 8178 12180
Hires are in Table 3 – where do I find the cost per hire and of membership?
The information you asked for is available on our website using the following link: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/santander-cycles/what-you-pay.
In accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act, TfL is not obliged to supply you with a copy of the requested information as it is already accessible to you elsewhere.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please feel free to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[email protected]
Back to top