Boris bike
 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Transport for London |
| Locale | London, United Kingdom |
| Transit type | Bicycle sharing system |
| Number of stations | 839 |
| Website | Santander Cycles |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 30 July 2010 |
| Operator(s) | Serco |
| Number of vehicles | 13,600 bicycles |
Santander Cycles (formerly Barclays Cycle Hire) is a public bicycle hire scheme in London, United Kingdom. The scheme's bicycles are popularly known as Boris Bikes, after Boris Johnson, who was the Mayor of London when the scheme was launched.
The operation of the scheme is contracted by Transport for London to Serco. Bikes and docking stations are provided by PBSC Urban Solutions. The scheme is sponsored, with Santander UK being the main sponsor from April 2015.Barclays Bank was the first sponsor, from 2010 to March 2015.
Credit for developing and enacting the scheme has been a source of debate. Johnson has taken credit for the plan, although the initial concept was announced by his predecessor Ken Livingstone, during the latter's term in office. Livingstone said that the programme would herald a "cycling and walking transformation in London" and Johnson said that he "hoped the bikes would become as common as black cabs and red buses in the capital".
A study showed cyclists using the scheme are three times less likely to be injured per trip than cyclists in London as a whole, possibly due to motorists giving cycle hire users more road space than they do other cyclists. Moreover, recent customer research showed that 49 per cent of Cycle Hire members say that the scheme has prompted them to start cycling in London.
The record for cycle hires in a single day is 73,000.
In August 2007 the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, announced that he was planning to implement a cycle hire scheme modelled on the successful Vélib' network in Paris. Following discussions with the Mayor of Paris, Livingstone instructed transport officials to study the Paris and similar schemes, and draw up proposals for London. Discussions were conducted between Transport for London (TfL), the London boroughs and transport commissioners from Lyon, Brussels, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Oslo and Copenhagen.
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