I’ve been a huge fan of the ‘Boris Bikes’ cycle hire scheme in London, but am disheartened to see the huge increase in fees coming next year.
[Barclays Bike on 2011 Naked Bike Ride]
Fees doubled
From Wednesday 2 January 2013, access fees for the Barclays Cycle Hire are doubling across the board – something that will no doubt deter some casual cyclists from renewing their membership.
Here’s how the new charges will look. If you’ve got auto‑renew set up on your account, the new fees will automatically kick in from 1 January 2013.
24 hour access will increase from £1 to £2
Weekly access will increase from £5 to £10
Annual membership will increase from £45 to £90After hiring a bike, the first thirty minutes of use will still be free. All other usage charges and additional charges including late return, non return and bicycle damage will not change.
Here’s the full hire charges from their site:
| Up to 30 minutes | FREE |
| Up to 60 minutes | £1 |
| Up to 90 minutes | £4 |
| Up to 120 minutes | £6 |
| Up to 150 minutes | £1 |
| Up to 180 minutes | £15 |
| Up to 6 hours | £35 |
| Up to 24 hours | £50 |
Other charges
| Late return charge | £150 |
| Non-return charge | £300 |
| Damage charge up to | £300 |
I’ve paid the annual membership for the past two years, but at £90, it’s suddenly not looking so attractive. Surely the whole point of this scheme was to encourage more people to take up cycling, not price them out.
Find out more about the changes here: tfl.gov.uk/cyclehire
Related posts:
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Barclays Boris Bikes go east and west this Thursday, Brixton left out in the cold
London Naked Bike Ride 2011 – all the wobbly bits in a full photo report
Free wi-fi access at London tube stations set to vanish at the end of the year, unless….
A damp and grey London walk along the Albert and Victoria Embankments
Bike Parking Tax protest, central London 12th October 2011
Nothing stays the same forever, but doubling in one fell swoop is harsh. Still makes economic sense to me, compared with a one day bus pass (plus it’s quicker than the bus and more pleasant than the tube).
The end of TFL cycle hire price increase
Now becomes a semi-luxury mode of transport
if its going to cost 100% more should I start expecting 100% more?
£2 for 24 hours Ill just be walking those one-one and a half mile journeys from now very very sad about this totally gutted
To make improvements like what give them new bells? So future operations are at stake? How many fat cat operation managers do we need? Ten just to organised a one person job then get it totally wrong and lost in the numbers spread sheets and paper work all the while leave those on the ground in the dark,
yes i appreciate the work on the ground to get this thing running but come on £100%! Do any of those hard working people on the ground get anything more than London minimum wage.
Get an old jamjar wash it out Save one pound a day for a year in a years time the £365 pound saved will get you a new reasonable quality bike there when you want it and you wont be advertising banksters when you are peddling arround London
I have just gone to renew my annual subs for the Cycle Scheme and its £90. Have not had a pay rise for 3 years and in times like this who does Boris think he is doubling it. Hope it costs him his job. Times like this he could have kept it down and did it by stealthy means over a couple of years. Back on tube, bus or car now Thanks Boris