Santander Cycles

Santander Cycles
Overview
Owner Transport for London
Locale London, United Kingdom
Transit type Bicycle sharing system
Number of stations 742
Website Santander Cycles
Operation
Began operation 30 July 2010
Operator(s) Serco
Number of vehicles 11,500 bicycles

Santander Cycles 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.[1] The scheme is sponsored, with Santander UK being the main sponsor from April 2015.[2] Barclays Bank was the first sponsor from 2010 to March 2015, when the service was branded as Barclays Cycle Hire.[3][4][5]

Credit for developing and enacting the scheme has been a source of debate. Johnson has taken credit for the plan,[6] although the initial concept was announced by his predecessor Ken Livingstone, during the latter's term in office.[7] Livingstone has said that the programme would herald a "cycling and walking transformation in London"[8] and Johnson said that he "hoped the bikes would become as common as black cabs and red buses in the capital".[9]

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.[10] Moreover, recent customer research showed that 49 per cent of Barclays Cycle Hire members say that the scheme has prompted them to start cycling in London.[11]

During the 2012 Olympic Games, a record of 47,105 cycle hires were made in a single day.[12]

History

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.[13] Discussions were conducted between TfL, the London boroughs and transport commissioners from Lyon, Brussels, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Oslo and Copenhagen.[14]

In February 2008, plans for the London cycle hire scheme were officially unveiled by Livingstone.[15] The CTC and Green Party hailed the proposals as revolutionary.[8]

BCH commenced operations in July 2010 with 5,000 bicycles and 315 docking stations distributed across the City of London area and parts of eight London boroughs.[16] The coverage zone spans approximately 17 square miles (44 km2), roughly matching the Zone 1 Travelcard area. As of March 2012 there were some 8,000 cycles and 570 docking stations in the scheme, which had been used for over 19 million journeys.[17]

Initially, BCH required initial payment of registration and membership fees to be paid in exchange for an electronic access key, but on 3 December 2010 this was changed to allow casual cycle hires by non-members who have a valid credit or debit card.[18]

The project was expected to cost £140 million for planning and implementation over six years, potentially the only Transport for London (TfL) system to fully fund its annual cost of operation, a goal originally estimated to take two to three years.[19]

Between December 2010 and the end of May 2013, the scheme had registered 22 million rides without a death.[20]

The first fatality of a user of the scheme occurred in July 2013. A 20 year old woman, Philippine De Gerin-Ricard, was killed outside Aldgate East tube station after being struck by a lorry,[21] prompting a protest ride calling for improved separation between cycle routes and other traffic.[22]

In October 2013, Rob Holden and two friends hired one of the bicycles for 24 hours to raise money for charity. They transported it by van across the channel to southern France via Eurotunnel, then used it to cycle 14 miles to the top of Mont Ventoux. After completing the climb, the bicycle was successfully returned to a docking station in London, 22 seconds before the 24-hour hire period was due to expire.[23]

In March 2014, 101 of the 10,000 bikes in the scheme were coloured yellow to mark 100 days until the arrival of the 101st Tour de France in London on Monday 7 July 2014.[24][25]

Operation

Regular users of the scheme can register on the TfL website and buy access for 24 hours, 7 days, or one year. Users are then posted a key to operate the docking stations; keys cost £3, and up to four can be registered under a single account. The key allows a cycle to be released from the docking station.[26]

On 3 December 2010 the scheme was extended to casual users who are not members of the scheme but hold major payment cards.[27] The cost is the same to members and casual users, except that casual use for one year is not available. A Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card can be used in a docking station to release a bicycle. Access for 24 hours or 7 days can be purchased.

Cycles may be rented at any time during the access period; use for no more than 30 minutes at a time is free of charge.[28] Usage charges, additional to the access charge, are weighted to favour shorter use. Bicycles may be used any number of times within the access period, each use charged according to its duration.

Cycles

Cycle on Lambeth Bridge
Barclays Cycle Hire bike handlebar

The features of the bicycles built by Cycles Devinci include:[29] [30] [31]

The bicycles are utility bicycles with a unisex step-through frame. The cycles are not provided with locks (unlike the Vélib' scheme in Paris).

The one-piece aluminium frame and handlebars conceal cables and fasteners in an effort to protect them from vandalism, damage and inclement weather. The heavy-duty tyres are designed to be puncture-resistant and are filled with nitrogen to maintain proper inflation pressure longer.[32] A row of 5 LEDs on front of the luggage rack and twin LED rear lights are integrated into the robust frame, which weighs approximately 23 kg (51 lb).[31][33]

The bikes were designed by industrial designer Michel Dallaire and built in the Saguenay, Quebec region by Cycles Devinci, with aluminum provided by Rio Tinto Alcan,[34] a Canadian company based in Montreal and part of an international mining group headquartered in the UK.

The cycles are low-geared to compensate for their weight and to provide a way of limiting their top speed. Using a Shimano Nexus 3 hub gear with a 38 tooth chainring in front and a larger than standard 23 tooth rear sprocket the setting is 32 gear inches in 1st gear, 44 gear inches in 2nd gear, and 60 gear inches in 3rd gear.[35] This gearing is about 22% lower than would be usual on a three-speed cycle of this sort.

The cycles and the docking stations are built in Canada and are based on the Bixi (bike taxi) cycle rental system that operates in Montreal and other Canadian cities.

Docking stations

Docking station at Hyde Park.
Barclays Cycle Hire terminal screen.

Docking stations consist of a terminal and docking points where users pick up and return cycles. The terminal at each docking station contains a screen allowing users to:[36]

If there is a fault with a cycle that was rented, it can be docked at the nearest station and the red 'fault' button on the docking point pressed within ten seconds; another bike can then be taken at no extra cost.

During high load hours the bikes are moved from the busiest stations to the emptiest using trailers pulled by Alkè ATX280E electric vehicles with zero CO2 emissions,[37] and Ford Transit vans with specially-designed tail ramps. There are a number of mobile phone apps to help users find the nearest station.

Finances

In the first three months of the scheme, 95 percent of journeys did not exceed half an hour, earning TfL access fees but no usage fees.[38] The scheme generated £323,545 in revenue for usage in the first 96 days.[38] Only 72,700 of the first 1.4 million journeys earned any revenue, with 44 percent of income coming from users charged the £150 (US $252) "late return" fees.[38] With an average £3,370 income per day from journeys, the scheme needed to grow substantially over the following five years to meet its cost.[38] In this early period there was a steady growth in the number of bike journeys. It was expected that when casual use was introduced it would become the bigger revenue generator.[38] Access fees were doubled in January 2013,[39] which was expected to bring in an extra £4-6m annually.[40] User satisfaction level dropped after the increase.[41]

In May 2012 (before access charges doubled in 2013), TfL estimated that the scheme would cost taxpayers £225m by 2015/16, almost 5 times the maximum due from Barclays.[42][43]

Reception and criticisms

BCH debuted with great fanfare, with over 90,000 users registering one million cycle rides being taken in the first ten weeks of operation.[44] The millionth journey rider was awarded free annual membership to the scheme for five years for him and three friends.[45]

In particular, the BCH scheme was criticised for allowing riders to have unlimited use by docking the bike every thirty minutes at a station (the first 30 minutes' use are free) resulting in a dependence upon late fees and penalties to make up revenues.[38][46] Other users complained of computer issues, erroneous charges, and problems with docking stations.[17][47][48][49][50] The system requires the cyclist to find docking stations close to the points of departure and destination, lacking one of the key advantages of the bicycle in an urban setting.[51] The system also does not enable transport to the suburbs; as TfL says, it is "best for short journeys".[52] Some users also found the bikes too heavy and unwieldy, at 23 kilograms (51 lb).[31][33]

In June 2011, TfL issued a 'critical improvement plan' to the BCH contractor, Serco, demanding immediate improvements in service, and in a comment to the press a TfL spokesman stated that "the service it (Serco) has provided for our Barclays Cycle Hire users has not reached the consistently high standards we expect," adding "We expect to see immediate improvements."[17] Serco has in turn admitted that "some aspects of the service still need to be improved."[17]

Redistribution of bikes has also been hindered by the refusal by the councils of Westminster and of Kensington & Chelsea to allow Serco to move bikes around their boroughs at night, between the hours of 22.00-08.00, creating significant challenges in meeting morning peak demand.

At the time of launch, anti-arms-trade campaigners protested against Barclays' involvement in the scheme and attached stickers to the bikes highlighting the Bank's investment in the arms trade.[53][54]

The Barclays Cycle Hire scheme and those who delivered it achieved recognition from a wide cross-section of industries impacted by the project. A total of 15 awards were received within a year of launch recognising not just the impact on transport in London but also the innovative design, the public relations exercise and the challenging delivery timescales. Those awards included "Best Facility" from the London Cycling Campaign[55] and an Infrastructure award from the Institution of Civil Engineers.[56]

Repair and replacement

An Alkè ATX280E electric utility vehicle, used to redistribute bicycles

According to Transport for London, in the first six months of operation two-thirds of the fleet of London's Barclays Cycle Hire scheme fleet required repair.[57] Serco, the company contractor for bicycle operations, was repairing more than 30 bikes a day as of February 2011,[57] and at any one time around 200 of the 5,400 strong fleet were off the road for maintenance.[57] As of February 2011, three BCH machines had been damaged beyond repair while in service, and ten bicycles had been stolen.[33] Six docking stations had been hit and damaged by motor vehicles and six had been vandalised.[57]

Repairs take place at two depots in Kings Cross and Clapham.[58]

Prices

Users of the scheme must pay both an access fee and usage charges.[59] Bicycles may be used any number of times within the access period, each use charged according to its duration.

Access fees doubled in January 2013[39] and the weekly access period was withdrawn in January 2015. As of January 2015, the two access fee options were 24-hour access for £2, or annual access (for members only) for £90.

Extra ride charges are weighted to promote the constant circulation of bicycles. The first 30 minutes of each journey are free; for longer hire durations the price increases by £2 every extra 30 minutes. If a user docks a bike, five minutes must elapse before they can take out another one. This means a user can have as many journeys as they like and only pay £2 so long as each journey is under 30 minutes.

Bicycles must be returned within 24 hours. Failure to return a bicycle or damaging one could incur a charge of up to £300.

Expansion plans

In March 2012 the cycle hire scheme was extended significantly in east London, and a minor western expansion around Shepherds Bush. 2,300 additional bikes and 4,800 more docking points were added.[60]

In December 2013, the scheme received a further significant expansion ('Phase 3') in west and south west London. This expansion added approximately 2,000 more bikes and 150 new docking points, with new stations in the boroughs of Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth and Kensington & Chelsea.[61]

However, despite calls from other Londoners, the scheme has yet to expand into many areas close to central London, including central and north Islington.[62][63]

In some cases, planned expansion has been delayed by Londoners who support the London Cycle Hire Scheme in principle, but dislike the idea of having a docking station on their street, or losing parking spaces to make room for docking stations.[64]

By December 2013, the cyle hire scheme had 11,500 bikes for hire.[65]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "TFL Announcement for BCH Operator".
  2. ↑ https://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/february/mayor-announces-santander-as-new-cycle-hire-sponsor
  3. ↑ "Barclays' £25m sponsorship of London cycle hire scheme". BBC News. 28 May 2010.
  4. ↑ "Boris, Barclays and the Big Blue Branding". CorpComms Magazine. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  5. ↑ James Pickford (11 December 2013). "Barclays to end sponsorship of London’s ‘Boris bike’ cycle scheme". Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  6. ↑ Thelwell, Emma (30 July 2010). "London's 'Boris Bike' hire scheme launched". The World in 2010. Channel 4. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Taylor, Matthew (9 February 2008). "City's two-wheel transformation". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Livingstone plan for street-corner cycle hire stands". London: independent.co.uk. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Jon Clements. "Phone fury man kicks 'Boris bike'- John Clements". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  10. ↑ "Safety of London Bike Scheme". rdrf.org.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.itv.com/news/london/2013-04-04/boris-bikes-extended-to-south-west-london/
  12. ↑ "Barclays Cycle Hire Twitter". Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "London eyes Paris-style cycle hire". news.com.au. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Paris free bike hire scheme could work in London, says Mayor". cyclingweekly.co.uk. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Livingstone announces major cycling scheme". reuters.com. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "Mayor's flagship cycling scheme - Barclays Cycle Hire - opens for business". Transport for London. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 News, BBC (8 March 2012). "London cycle hire scheme expands eastwards". BBC news. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  18. ↑ "Transport for London Mayor's flagship Barclays Cycle Hire is now open to anyone, anytime". Transport for London. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  19. ↑ Whitehead, Frederika (13 October 2010). "London bike hire scheme on road to be only public transport system in profit". Guardian (UK). Retrieved 23 February 2011.: Once BCH revenues can fully pay for annual costs of operation, revenues may then be allocated towards repayment of the estimated £140 million in planning and implementation costs of the project.
  20. ↑ Spiegelhalter, David. "Fatality risk on Boris bikes?". Understanding Uncertainty. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  21. ↑ "First 'Boris bike' cyclist killed in lorry crash". BBC. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  22. ↑ "Campaigners call for better cycle lanes after French student killed on Boris Bike near Aldgate". The Docklands & East London Advertiser. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  23. ↑ "Cyclist rides London Boris bike up French mountain and returns it in under 24 hours for charity". The Telegraph. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  24. ↑ Bikes get a yellow jersey at The Evening Standard. Retrieved 1 May 2014
  25. ↑ 'Hire bikes Go Yellow Mayor press release. Retrieved 1 May 2014
  26. ↑ "Getting a cycle | Cycling | Transport for London". Tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  27. ↑ Hugh Gladstone (3 December 2010). "How to use the London cycle hire scheme on casual basis". Cyclingweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  28. ↑ TfL Barclays Cycle Hire: Costs
  29. ↑ "The cycles | Cycling | Transport for London". Tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  30. ↑ "Riding the Barclays Cycle Hire". Croydon Cyclist. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Harris, Stephen (30 July 2010). "Boris bike gets The Engineer test". The Engineer. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  32. ↑ Ross Lydall (2010-05-21). "Taking a ride on Boris's hot wheels hire bikes". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Brady, Brian (2011), Two-thirds of London's Boris Bikes need repairs, The Independent, 20 February 2011
  34. ↑ "Rio Tinto Alcan and BIXI: a partnership on a roll" (Press release). Rio Tinto Alcan. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  35. ↑ "Know your Boris Bike".
  36. ↑ "Docking stations | Cycling | Transport for London". Tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  37. ↑ https://www.sourcelondon.net/barclays-cycle-hire-and-serco-0
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 38.5 Quilty-Harper, Conrad, and Payne, Sebastian (7 January 2011). "London bicycle hire scheme in uphill struggle to make money". The Daily Telegraph.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Bikeradar: Barclays Cycle Hire scheme charges double in 2013, 7 November 2012
  40. ↑ Mayorwatch: Motorists and cyclists to pay TfL an additional £12m every year, 3 May 2013
  41. ↑ Mayorwatch: Boris Bikes satisfaction levels fall after price hike, 17 April 2013
  42. ↑ Mayorwatch: TfL reveals how much Barclays has paid for Cycle Hire scheme, 19 December 2012
  43. ↑ Mayorwatch: TfL: We don’t know when Boris’s Cycle Hire scheme will be self-funding, 15 August 2012
  44. ↑ "In praise of ... Boris's bikes". The Guardian (London). 11 October 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  45. ↑ Appleton, Mark (27 October 2010). "Millionth Boris bike journey rider identified". road.cc. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  46. ↑ TimeOut London, The London Cycle Hire Scheme (2011)
  47. ↑ Cridland, James, A message to Barclays Cycle Hire 9 February 2011
  48. ↑ London Cycle Hire: good, but not great, Tomroyal.com, 30 August 2010
  49. ↑ Radnedge, Aidan: Transport for London reported in June 2011 that thousands of BCH users had been sent erroneous billings.
  50. ↑ Macmichael, Simon, Hidden charges - Boris bike user hit with £900 charge for "free" journeys...but he's still a fan, Road.cc, Farrelly Atkinson Ltd., 13 September 2010
  51. ↑ May, James, Cycling Proficiency with James May, The Daily Telegraph, 21 October 2010
  52. ↑ "How it works". Transport for London. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  53. ↑ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/07/456388.html
  54. ↑ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/08/457086.html
  55. ↑ http://lcc.org.uk/articles/london-cycling-award-winners-show-off-best-practice-in-the-capital
  56. ↑ http://www.ice.org.uk/News-Public-Affairs/ICE-News/ICE-London-Awards--Civil-engineers-reveal-top-Lond
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 57.3 Sutton, Mark, (2011), London bike hire faring better than Paris scheme for write offs, Bike Biz Magazine, 22 February 2011
  58. ↑ http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2014/01/20/a-look-around-the-barclays-cycle-hire-repair-depot/
  59. ↑ "Barclays Cycle Hire/Costs". Transport for London. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  60. ↑ "Barclays Cycle Hire expansion".
  61. ↑ Beard, Matthew. "Boris bike scheme makes tracks south and west as it grows 50%". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  62. ↑ "Call for Boris Bikes to be extended to Upper Street".
  63. ↑ "Plea for 'Boris Bikes'".
  64. ↑ "Residents from Wandsworth complain about Docking Station being installed on their street".
  65. ↑ "Santander Replaces Barclays As Cycle Hire Sponsor". londonist.com. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.

External links

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