London expands 'Boris bike' hire scheme

March 09, 2012 | 08:58

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The British capital expanded its self-service cycle hire scheme on Thursday, adding 2,300 bikes in the east of the city.

The British capital expanded its self-service cycle hire scheme on Thursday, adding 2,300 bikes in the east of the city. Transport for London (TfL) said more than 8,000 of the Barclays Cycle Hire vehicles, known affectionately by Londoners as

Transport for London (TfL) said more than 8,000 of the Barclays Cycle Hire vehicles, universally known by Londoners as "Boris bikes" after mayor Boris Johnson, are now available at 570 docking stations around the city.

The expanded scheme covers a 65-square-kilometre (105-square-mile) area of London stretching from Shepherd's Bush in the west to the edges of the new Olympic Park in the east.

"Our wonderful blue bikes have changed the face of London and introduced a new form of public transport that has eased getting around our great city," said Johnson.

More than 10 million journeys have been made on the bicycles since the scheme was launched in 2009, according to TfL.

Hiring the bikes costs £1 (1.20 euros, $1.60) for 24 hours' unlimited use if every journey is shorter than 30 minutes, with longer journeys incurring higher fees.

At £5 for a week's unlimited use or £45 for an annual pass, the rental scheme is a relatively cost effective mode of transport in a city where a weekly pass for the Underground train network costs £29.20.

But critics say the scheme is a burden on the taxpayer, with Barclays bank, the project's sponsor until 2018, contributing only a fraction of the undisclosed total cost.

The scheme has also had a less significant social impact than previously hoped. In a highly racially mixed city, the typical user, according to TfL surveys, is a white male aged between 25 and 44.

AFP

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