We’ve all seen the iconic red Santander Cycles around London, but our new e-bikes have stepped it up a gear (pun intended 🤪).
There are now 500 Santander Cycles e-bikes dotted around London that you can hire, which means you can go further by bike.🔋
We caught up with David Eddington, Head of the Cycle Hire team at TfL to learn more.
About David
My name is David Eddington and I head up the Cycle Hire team for TfL. 👋🏻
I started with the scheme 14 years ago whilst it was a still a concept proposed by the then Mayor Ken Livingstone.
I was around from the early design stages and initially worked on the business rules, I now oversee the scheme working on all aspects of the scheme with my top-notch team.
About Santander Cycles e-bikes
Our e-bikes are based on a tried and trusted design that are in use in over 25 countries. Officially, they are electric assist which means you do have to actually pedal.
On a full charge the bikes can go up to 50km, but it’s still early days so we are monitoring their use. We lock the bikes into the docks when the batteries are lower than 10%, and use cargo bikes to switch out the batteries. On average, the bike battery lasts about 2 days and battery level is available on the bike’s display.
As part of the deployment, we use e-cargo vans and our exciting new cargo bikes to replenish batteries. Plus, you can’t get greener than a bike as your choice of transport. 💚
Each and every one of our fleet has a full annual inspection. If you have any concerns over the condition of a Santander Cycles bike you can alert our reactive service team by pressing the red spanner button on the docking point. We’ll take the bikes back to the depot if our team can’t fix them on the roadside.
Find an e-bike
E-bikes can be found by looking for a lightning bolt on the Santander Cycles app or map, plus the bikes are distinctively marked so you can see them in the stations. They are being well used so hopefully you will come across one at your favourite docking station!
Tips for cycling at night 🌚
Be bright! Wear something over your dark coat that makes you stand out to other road users. To make sure you’re visible on the road, dynamo-activated lights and reflectors are on the bikes.
Hire a Santander Cycles e-bike
To hire an e-bike you will need to have access to the Santander Cycles app. Download it today to get cycling!
Take a look at our other blog posts for inspiration on routes to enjoy around London.
If you’ve already hired an e-bike, we’d love to hear where you travelled to and if you enjoyed the ride. Let us know in the comments. 👇🏻