The London Cycle Hire Scheme

This is an archived page.

Find out where you can grab one of 'Boris's bikes', and how it all works

View London Cycle Hire docking station locations in a larger map

Disclaimer: While this map includes the vast majority of docking stations TfL will be adding new ones, and some sites are currently yet to be confirmed. We will keep it updated as new information comes in.

London Cycle Hire Scheme FAQs

What's the deal with the scheme? The Cycle Hire Scheme officially rolled out on July 30, 2010. The bikes are available to anyone over 14 who can ride a bicycle without assistance (you won’t need to carry your cycling proficiency certificate around with you). The bikes will be available around the clock and come with dynamo lights for riding at night. They don’t come with large baskets, helmets or locks, however.

How do I get pedalling?If you want to travel on a Boris bike you no longer have to be a member - all you need is a credit or debit card.

How do I become a registered member?To become a registered member go to www.tfl.gov.uk. Registered members pay £3 for a membership key and then an access fee - daily (£1), weekly (£5) or annual (£45 - members only). Additionally they pay the usage charge for the time they have the bike (see costs).

So how does the casual user option work?The pay-as-you-pedal option will be available from December 3, which allows you to just pay the access fee and usage charge. Once it’s up and running, you’ll be able to purchase access either online, by phone or at a docking station. A day’s access will cost £1 and a week’s will be £5. After you cough up, you’ll be given a keycode which will unlock the bikes.

See a comparison of membership and casual use

How much does it cost? Once you’ve paid your access fee, a 30-minute ride is free: keep docking the bike and there’s no limit to how many trips you can take in a day. Otherwise, it’s £1 for an hour, rising to £50 for the maximum hire period of 24 hours. Hang on to the bike for longer and you may face a £150 fine; if you don’t return it, it’s £300. (Fees are charged to riders’ membership accounts or, for pay-as-you-go, the card used to pay the access fee.)

How do I find a bike?By the end of the summer, 6,000 bikes will be available at 400 docking stations around central London (roughly Zone 1 on a tube map). If the rack’s empty, the docking station will direct you to the nearest available bike. Pop your keycard or access code into the lock, and off you go.

How do I return the bike? Find an empty space at any docking station and park your bike. With 10,200 spaces for 6,000 bikes, it’s unlikely your station will be full. If it is, though, go to the terminal and you’ll be given an extra 15 minutes to get to another station. (The terminal will show you where to find the nearest free space.)

What if something goes wrong with the bike?If you get a puncture or your bike needs some TLC, take it to the nearest dock and press the fault report button. The bike will then be locked until it’s repaired. Don’t worry about getting stranded, though – you can take a replacement.

What if it’s stolen or I have an accident?While wear and tear (such as a puncture) won’t be charged, fees will be incurred if there is evidence that a bike has been wilfully damaged. If a bike is lost or stolen while you’re using it, you’ll be liable for the non-return fee (£300), although each case will be looked at individually.

Are the instructions available in anything other than English?TfL are currently (Nov 2010) translating the instructions at docking stations into five different languages, which will rise to 15 by the end of 2011.

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At last a Paris style Velibes system for London. Just one question though. Why didn't they allow payment using an oyster card? That would have been both logical and convenient.

Jenny Day Thu Jul 29 2010
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Yes, it's a good idea, but should be for free like it is in France...and this would be really the great revolution!

alesi Thu Jul 29 2010
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I agree with jevs. I think it's a brilliant scheme and plan to get on at Waterloo and cycle to the West End, assuming there are bikes left. I don't actually want to cycle from South London as it is too far/too long so this means I can cycle without needing to find somewhere to park my bike :)

Melodrama Thu Jul 29 2010
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I really like the scheme but as a few people have mentioned.... 1) Add it to the oyster card / Travel card scheme 2) Maybe it could be expanded (when it becomes a succes) out to Zone 2 tube stations... Francesca - i think youre right, its not really meant to help commuters "get to work" as they live MILES away. But would you use it for getting around town when you are already at work? perhaps you have to get from work to a meeting across town? or get back from that meeting? Then i think commuters will use it.

jevs Thu Jul 29 2010
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I think this is a BRILLIANT idea. I'm going to sign up and give it a go - I used to ride my own bike into work when I lived in Manchester but after having three successive bikes stolen in London I gave up and got on the train instead. Whilst with this scheme I can't (yet) cycle from home to work, I can cycle from Waterloo station to work in Soho, saving me an unpleasant and time-consuming yomp on the tube. Plus I think it'll be good for some of those little half-hour journeys at lunchtime or after work that take too long if you're walking and the tube just isn't convenient for. I guess the only downsides are a) that with only 20-30 bikes at each 'docking station' there may not be nearly enough bikes to cope with demand, particularly outside the big railway stations at 8.30am, and b) that it's not included in my supposedly unlimited Oyster travelcard (this is public transport, of sorts, so why is it not covered?). Still, £50 for a year's unlimited access is peanuts so I'm going to give it a go.

Steve Thu Jul 29 2010
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I think it's great that London is finally doing this. Paris has it for almost four years now, so it really took a lot to get it implemented here. The bad thing is that is not really helping commuters. The bikes and docking stations are all in city centre instead of being close to our houses and big train stations. I think they are considering much more tourists than locals.

Francisco Thu Jul 29 2010
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vic - im not missing the point at all, i think this system will only work for tourists, definitely not for residents, at least not for me. if i have to take the tube to go to central london, (since there are no bycycles in east london) then my journey is already paid, why should i pay even further to cycle? i would rather walk at that point i guess :) I was in Paris and they have the same system, and if I was a tourist I would definitely give it a go. On Your Bike - in my modest opinion, if one introduces something like this, they should think of many different uses, not just a system for making money, but one that puts people off from using the tube or their cars. Highlighting on the benefits that cycling does not only to people but to the environment. I would personally adopt it as a way of living, because not everybody has money to spare to buy a bycicle or a splace to store it, so just as you rent a car, you could equally rent a bike with affordable prices, without having to worry where to store it or how and where to fix it.

francesca Thu Jul 29 2010
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I think it's great - other countries manage it so why can't we? And the comment about using streetcar instead due to cost - kind of missing the point there of the whole scheme!

vic Thu Jul 29 2010
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Having seen a few of the docking stations a couple of things struck me: how come you can't use your oyster card to pay for them? And why are all the info maps pointing in weird directions? Very few of them seem to point north and it's really confusing...

Colin Cartographer Thu Jul 29 2010
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I am truely disappointed that the scheme does not cater for those who already pay more than £1000 for their yearly bus pass but for whom a short bike ride may be more efficient than a bus stuck in traffic jam. We are the losers in this case

cathy Thu Jul 29 2010
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