"We are bringing an entirely new from of public transport to the Capital"

We are bringing an entirely new from of public transport to the Capital

A warehouse in north London is playing host to hundreds of docking points and thousands of cycles as they are assembled, tested, branded and electronically programmed before they are installed across the Capital for Londoners to use when the Mayor's Barclays Cycle Hire launches.

Visiting the warehouse, the Mayor's Transport Advisor, Kulveer Ranger, said: 'We are bringing an entirely new from of public transport to the Capital and today I've been able to see a glimpse of the incredible scale of the operation. 

'We do not expect all 6,000 cycles to be in place on day one and like any new scheme it will take a little time for it to become part of London life but we are confident that soon thousands of Londoners will see and ride on the cycle hire bikes every day.'

Mick Hickford, Head of Special Projects, Transport for London (TfL), said: 'We've looked at hire schemes from across the world, learning from their experiences and adding our own unique ideas to design a scheme for London. 

'This scheme incorporates innovative technology that needs careful programming and testing before it can be installed into London's streets. 

'We know that it will take time for the scheme to bed in and with any new piece of technology there is likely to be a 'settling in' period.

'We'll be closely monitoring it to iron out any issues as they happen.'


Notes to editors:

Images of the cycles in the warehouse are available from TfL Press Office on request
  • Find our more about Barclays Cycle Hire, and register your interest in the scheme
  • Once complete, people using Barclays Cycle Hire will be able to pick up and drop off one of the 6,000 hire bicycles at around 400 locations across London's zone one travel area. This means that there will be a docking station every 300m or so
  • Users can pay £1 for 24-hour access, £5 for seven-day access, or take out a £45 annual Membership. Subsequently, each completed journey of up to half an hour will be free of charge. Journeys of between 30 minutes and one hour will cost £1, £4 for up to 90 minutes and £6 for up to two hours. Charges then increase incrementally up to a maximum hire period of 24 hours
  • TfL has worked closely with the nine London boroughs and several Royal Parks that Barclays Cycle Hire will cover to identify the most suitable locations for docking stations, with all applications subject to planning consent and including a period of consultation. The boroughs, as the planning authorities, have been making the final decision on whether to approve the locations
  • In order to maximise the chance of people being able to return a bicycle to the docking station of their choice, there will be approximately 1.7 bicycle docking points for each bicycle. This means that, once the scheme is complete, there will be 10,200 docking points spread across 400 docking stations. Redistribution teams will be in place to move bicycles from quieter docking stations to busier ones throughout the day
  • View the new short film explaining how to use Barclays Cycle Hire and the Cycle Smart safety film. Details on how to register for membership of Barclays Cycle Hire will be announced shortly
  • See the full schedule of the 45 Barclays Cycle Hire roadshow events. The roadshows, which run until October, will provide practical demonstrations, hints and tips including how to register for the scheme, how much it will cost to use, and how to pick up and drop off hire bicycles from the docking stations. Existing or potential cyclists will also be given safety tips, details of cycle routes and will be encouraged to sign up for TfL-funded cycle training through their local borough council
  • Barclays Cycle Hire will operate across central London. Docking stations and hire bicycles will be available in Camden, City of London, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, City of Westminster and several of the Royal Parks
  • Barclays Cycle Hire aims to build on the massive 117 per cent growth in cycle journeys on London's major roads since TfL was created in 2000 and is expected to generate up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day in central London
  • You can follow Barclays Cycle Hire on Twitter