London cycle scheme hits new record

The Santander Cycles hire scheme in London achieved another record-breaking year in 2022 with more 11.5 million hires, latest figures show.

Transport for London (TfL) says an extra 565,625 hires were made during the year than in 2021. In total, 11,506,889 hires took place during 2022.

TfL says that the increased number of hires reflects wider increases in walking and cycling seen in London over recent years.

In October last year, TfL and Santander introduced a new fleet of 500 docked e-bikes to the scheme that help to break down the barriers that stop some people from cycling, including fitness, age and journey length.

Data from 2022 shows that the e-bikes have been a success, with 129,232 hires made so far. Waterloo Station was the most popular docking station in 2022 with 131,005 hires.  

Last month, TfL and Southwark Council completed an expansion of the scheme in Southwark, with seven new docking stations serving people in Bermondsey and Walworth. The new docking stations build on other recent expansions of the scheme in the borough, including the five new docking stations added in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe in 2019.   

London’s walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, said: “It has been another incredible, record-breaking year for London’s tremendous Santander Cycles scheme with over 11.5 million rides, proving that the boom in walking and cycling we saw during the pandemic is here to stay. 2022 also saw the introduction of fantastic new e-bikes with more Londoners than ever using sustainable ways to get around the capital. 

“The Mayor and I are determined to continue building a cleaner, greener and more prosperous London for everyone - Santander Cycles plays a hugely important role in making active travel around the city as accessible as possible.” 

David Eddington, TfL’s head of cycle hire, said: “Santander Cycles plays a vital role in enabling millions of journeys in London each year and these latest figures are proof that the scheme continues to go from strength to strength. Making it easier and more accessible to cycle in London is vital to the capital’s future success and last year was a particularly memorable year for the scheme, with the introduction of a new fleet of docked e-bikes, a first for the capital."