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Santander Cycles 4+

Transport for london.

• #162 in Travel
• 3.8 • 9.2K Ratings

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Description.

Santander Cycles is the self-service, bike-sharing scheme for short journeys in inner London. The official Santander Cycles app from Transport for London is the only app to send bike release codes straight to your smartphone. So you can skip past the docking station terminal and get on your bike quicker. Simply register with your bank card, and use the app to ‘Hire now’ from a nearby docking station. Follow the instructions to get your bike release code. Tap the code into the docking point and you’re good to go! You can also: • See up-to-the-minute information about which docking stations have bikes and spaces available • Plan a journey with an easy to follow map • Receive notifications – for example, summarising the cost at the end of your hire • View your recent journeys and charges • Save your favourite docking stations • Become a London Rider - complete challenges and hire cycles to earn entries into a weekly prize draw! Each bike release code is valid for 10 minutes at your chosen docking station. Please note the app doesn’t reserve bikes. If there are no bikes available at the docking station, don’t worry. Use the app to find a nearby docking station with bikes, and get another bike release code to use there. You won’t be charged until you use the release code. You must be 18 or over to hire a bike, and 14 or over to ride one. For full Santander Cycles terms and conditions, see tfl.gov.uk/santandercycles

Version 4.0.34

We’ve introduced a Day Pass. Unlimited single rides of up to 30 minutes within 24 hours for £3.

Ratings and Reviews

9.2K Ratings

Not up to scratch

You’d think after all these years and with so many users the developers would get the basics right! Had a very frustrating time signing up by the app which kept saying my payment was declined despite 5 x £90 being ring fenced in my bank account which then took over a week to clear. In the end I joined by phone. Having been using the app on a daily basis for the last two weeks I’ve found it to be hit and miss - often when trying to hire a bike I get a message saying no internet connection when clearly there is. I see other reviewers have made the same point. I’ve now got a key which is much quicker and easier to use - so will only resort to the app as a back up.

Unable to add my payment card

The app is great for telling you where the bikes are and availability, but for someone using Apple Pay and who doesn’t regularly carry a bank card, it’s absolutely dire. A few months ago my partner and I both had issues adding our cards and it took multiple attempts and 15-20 minutes to set up. Today we tried to use them again and both of our cards had been reissued by the bank. We couldn’t add them and it actually said it was suspending my partner’s account. Needless to say neither of us were able to add our cards (although MasterCard debit wasn’t an option, maybe this was the reason??) we had to fall back to using the machine and a physical card. Luckily I had it with me, but what’s the point in the app/account if this is the case. I don’t understand why they don’t incorporate Apple Pay save adding these details in a longwinded manner. Also, why don’t the login details work in saved passwords on the iPhone? They’re certainly saved in but when you try to populate it in the app, in order to login automatically it doesn’t populate either fields and I had to copy the password, enter the email and then paste the password in (right after I reset my password not understanding why I couldn’t login/why it wasn’t pulling it through). Sort out the payment function and it would be an easy app to use!!! Also, what about a countdown timer for the app? How long you have left?

Great app and excellent customer service

Have been using the app and bikes for about 18 months. The bikes are a great facility to have in London, basically turn up and go, no stress about carrying padlocks or dealing with punctures and maintenance. The bikes are a bit heavy but very robust. The app is good — could be slightly better with notifications, journey tracking, etc, but considering the number of bikes and the diverse locations, it is VG. The app recently went awry after I upgraded to ios 14.8 but after reporting it to the customer service team, I got a quick email response recommending a reinstall, which fixed things, plus a friendly follow-up call a few days later. Couldn’t fault the team behind everything. Thank you :-)

Developer Response ,

Hi there! Thanks soooo much for your positive vibes and kind words about our app! I'm so pleased to hear your getting on much better with the app after you called our team! I agree cycling is the way to go! Enjoy! Sadia

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Going Out | Summer Cycling

How the Santander Cycle app can change your biking life

Now it’s even easier to hire a Santander Cycle and start exploring London on two wheels, thanks to a brilliant new app available on both Android and iOS smartphones.

The new Santander Cycles app launched this summer and is free to download from the Apple Store and Google Play . Use it to search for your nearest Santander Cycles docking station and check the availability of bikes and empty docking points. Type a street name, postcode or other location into the search field on the app or enable location services on your smartphone so GPS can automatically find docking stations near you.

The app can also send a bike release code straight to your smartphone, so there’s no need to use the terminal at the Santander Cycles docking station to get one. Just register your bank card, click ‘hire now’ on the app and then tap the code you receive straight into the docking point to release a Santander Cycle . It makes an already speedy process even speedier.

Once you’ve got your bike, it’s time to get where you need to go: the new app can help with that too. The cycling journey planner lets you plan routes, providing an easy-to-follow map in addition to turn-by-turn directions.

The journey planner will always present you with three different routes: easy, moderate and fast. Easy will take you down mainly quiet backstreets, canals and park routes (there may be main roads where unavoidable), and expects you to pedal at a leisurely speed of 12km/h. Moderate routes use mainly backstreets, travelling at an average speed of 16km/h. And Fast, as the name suggests, will be the most direct route to your destination, based on a speedy 20km/h.

The app tells you exactly when the hire period of your Santander Cycle began, sends you notifications showing the cost at the end of a hire period, and confirms that the bike has been securely docked after you’ve returned it. Log in to your Santander Cycles membership account to get information about recent journeys and charges too, and pay for 24-hour and annual subscriptions. What are you waiting for?

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Santander Cycles, advocating sustainable transport in cities 

Mitigating action against climate change is needed now more than ever. To promote sustainable transport and healthy living , we've renewed our sponsorship agreement with Transport for London (TfL), extending our Santander Cycles programme.

In Europe, more than half of recorded CO 2 emissions come from private vehicles. This has a direct impact on the planet, which is already drastically greater than predicted. To help reverse this reality, Santander UK is extending its agreement with Transport for London (TfL), the government transport authority in the British capital, to 2025 to encourage cycling and reduce pollution in cities.

Santander Cycles, the public cycle hire system, is a perfect alternative for getting round the city. According to estimates, the 300 million kilometres travelled on its bikes have helped cut down CO 2 emissions by 20,000 tonnes. 

Santander Cycles is running in London, Milton Keynes and Swansea and at the Brunel University London campus. It has more than 14,000 cycles in the capital alone, having served over 100 million riders. It has also enabled Santander to support healthcare workers with 100,000 codes for free cycle hires in appreciation of their work during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, on 30 May 2020, Santander Cycles set an all-time record since it began operating in July 2015, with more than 70,000 users in one day. Between March 2020 and March 2021, new user registries rose 193%, and yearly subscriptions 22%.

Using Santander Cycles is effortless. On a mobile app, users can hire up to four bicycles at the same time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for as little as £2 a day for unlimited 30-minute journeys. At the end of the journey, they only need to return them to one of many stations in the districts where they are located.

To help further reduce CO 2 emissions, we will bring around 500 electric bicycles to the UK over the next three years and create new cycleways in London on top of the 100 km2 already in place. 

Woo hoo 🥳 We’re so excited to see the launch of our new #SantanderCycles E-bikes 🚲 If you’re in London and fancy a bike ride, keep an 👀 out for them! https://t.co/6sWR4Z2opA pic.twitter.com/kGnFUp4879 — Santander UK (@santanderuk) October 6, 2022

Pedals that travel the world

Our commitment to society embraces sport. It is a core component of our sponsorship strategy , which fits in local and international agreements.

Cycling is important not only at Santander UK but at our other banks as well, like Santander Brasil . There, under the slogan O banco do ciclismo brasileiro (“The bank of Brazilian cycling”), in March 2021 we announced our sponsorship of Brasil Ride , the largest mountain bike event in the world.

Apoiar o esporte é nossa forma de contribuir para que atletas e empreendedores prosperem. Acreditamos que o esporte é fonte de saúde e de energia. Por isso hoje convidamos você a se juntar a nós e se apaixonar pelo #Ciclismo . Vamos pedalar? 🚴 #VamosPedalar #CiclismoSantander pic.twitter.com/z11VSXNhsd — Santander Brasil (@santander_br) May 19, 2021

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Seven Santander bike routes to explore London

Feel the wind in your hair as you peddle past the most iconic sights and beautiful places in London. To experience the best cycle routes in the Big Smoke, download the Santander Cycles app, hop on a Boris Bike and enjoy the ride. 

1. Hyde Park Loop 

Best for: A leisurely park ride  

Riding time: 20 minutes

An easy, relaxing bike ride around the most famous of London’s royal parks — Hyde Park, in Central London. The peaceful and picturesque Hyde Park Loop is perfect for families. Pick up your bike from a docking station near The Serpentine Gallery and admire the stunning gardens, thriving trees and elegant swans swimming as you peddle song the cycle path. You’ll pass the majestic Statue of Achilles and the Joy of Life fountain. As you continue to complete the loop, keep an eye out for the historic Speakers’ Corner.

2. Independent Shops and Markets 

Best for: Unique buys 

Riding time: 40 minutes 

Immerse yourself in London’s vibrant markets and unique stores on the Independent Shops and Markets route. Start your journey at the quirky Camden Market and cycle along Regents Canal Towpath. Eventually, you’ll find yourself at Camden Passage; a great place for food and antiques. Next up is the hidden precinct Exmouth Market, which is perfect for a pint and an array of eccentric shops and restaurants. Then finally, stop off at the famous Spitalfields — where you’ll find fashion, food, art and music. 

3. Thames Loop 

Best for: Iconic landmarks and a riverside ride 

Riding time: 30 minutes

Admire the most famous landmarks in the UK on the Thames Loop . After setting off from Westminster and you’ll then head straight to the 24-hour chiming clock, Big Ben. Once you’ve joined the Cycle Superhighway 3 you’ll peddle past Somerset House on the Thames path and then over Blackfriars Bridge near the Tate Modern, where you’ll have fantastic views of the River Thames and St Paul’s Cathedral. Keep an eye out for Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and the London Eye on this spectacular journey.

4. Quirky London

Best for: Off-beat attractions 

Begin the Quirky London route at London Bridge and head to Cross Bones Graveyard, where thousands of prostitutes and criminals were buried. You’ll then pass St Bartholomew-the-Great, the oldest church in London, before seeing the historic Golden Boy of Pye Corner. Stop off at the weird and wonderful Hunterian Museum, which is full of pickled creatures and human parts. If you’ve not lost your appetite, there are lots of cafes and restaurants in the flamboyant Neal’s Yard. 

5. Royal Loop 

Best for: Royal attractions 

Take a ride around the crowning jewels of London on the Royal Loop , starting at the end of Serpentine Road. Take in the largest bronze sculpture in Europe on the Wellington Arch before heading up Constitution Hill, where many royal wedding processions have been held. Stop and take in the glorious Buckingham Palace and then pass Churchill War Rooms and Horse Guards Parade, where over 1400 parading soldiers come together for the Queen’s birthday each year. 

6. Olympic Park Canal Loop 

Best for: Tranquil parks and waterways 

Riding time: 45 minutes

Begin your cycle in London at Victoria Park — also known as the People’s Park. If you’re cruising through this huge green space on a Sunday, don’t miss the Victoria Park Market where you can pick up a pint of craft beer or purchase some of the finest local produce. The Olympic Park Canal Loop then takes you on the cycle lane along the peaceful Regents Canal to Limehouse Basin, near Canary Wharf, and the historic Three Mills. You’ll also see Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where the 2021 Olympics were held, and the ArcelorMittal Orbit . 

7. London’s Secret Gardens 

Best for: Captivating green spaces 

If you want to escape the busy city, London’s Secret Gardens bike route is perfect for you. Hire your Santander Cycle from Ladbroke Grove past the famous Rosemead Gardens, from ‘ Notting Hill’ . Stop for a stroll at Holland Park, where you can enjoy a Japanese garden, orangery, Dutch garden and a rose garden. Next on the list is Hyde Park, where you can cycle alongside the Serpentine. The final tranquil spot is Chelsea Physic Garden. This is the oldest botanic garden in London and is home to over 5,000 thriving plants.

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• Top 5 Santander Cycle Hire Bike Routes

By Robert Bradley

It's hard to remember a time before ‘Boris Bikes’ lined our beautiful streets. As spring has sprung and summer approaches, Culture Calling's Robert Bradley talks us through his Top 5 routes across the capital. Don't take his word for it though - get out there and experience them for yourself!

Despite the tube and bus networks in London being world-class, there are times when you'd want a shorter, cheaper, and/or more scenic journey.  There are hundreds of Santander bike stations dotted around London, with a full list available  here . 

With so many roads, parks and back alleys to choose from, how to do you find a worthwhile route?

Well, here are Culture Calling’s Top 5 Santander Bike routes (popularly yet erroneously known as Boris Bikes) for any of you weekend in the capital adventurous types!

Starting at Victoria Embankment, pick up your Boris Bike and then ride west along the river and soak in the views of the south bank and Westminster.

Then branch off up alongside St James’ Park to Buckingham Palace for a quick how do you do with the Sovereign, then up over Green Park just in time for high tea at the Ritz. Lovely!

Average riding time: 60 mins

If you’re planning on making a day of it, and it’s a Sunday, why not pick up the bikes and head for a roast? One of the best roasts in the capital is that of the Railway Inn down in Blackheath.

So pick up your bikes at South Quay in Canary Wharf, then cycle down though all the picturesque Docklands down onto the Isle of Dogs. Then keep going in a straight line and dismount for the foot tunnel that will take you under the Thames and on to the south side at Greenwich.

After marvelling at the Cutty Sark for 5 to 10 minutes, cycle up through the park, past the planetarium and keep going straight, where eventually you’ll reach the massive heath…aka Blackheath. Cycle down towards the church, then the station, and you’ll find the Railway Inn on the right next door to the station itself.

Average riding time: 120 mins

If, like me, you find all of the tremendous houses in the NW7 postcode inspirational, than a dart round the heath, and a few of her back roads, is always worth the trek.

However, Hampstead - while lovely to look at - has some of the steepest hills in all of London, so make sure your calves are fully briefed before embarking on such an adventure.

You can pick up the bikes up at Castleheaven Road in Camden Town then head north towards Hampstead. The best part of this route is when you hit the heath; I have outlined an area where I normally cycle that takes you right through the centre of this wonderful park, but you can, of course, go wherever you wish.

Average ride time: 120 mins

This is perhaps one of my favourite rides; it’s a little bit of a trek, but well worth it - and what better way to spend your time than with fitness and culture. All in one day!

You can start at either one of the Tates, as they each have cycle bays close to them. But, for arguments sake, let’s say that you start at the Tate Modern:

Head for the Thames and be sure to be heading south along the south side of the river until you get to Vauxhall Bridge (this is the bridge closest to the MI6 building), cross over the bridge and turn left - then, shortly after a few left turnings, you’ll see the Tate Britain clearly sign posted. 

Average ride time: 50 mins

This route is for those who enjoy the leisurely bike ride, as opposed to pain-inducing endurance! Hyde Park in the spring and summertime is abuzz with activity.

With various festivals and activities it certainly makes for a fun afternoon ride and, what’s more, the park has many tea and cake shops to take your fancy as well as ice creams and usual park life enjoyments.

Simply pick up your bikes at Hyde Park Corner and follow the cycle path that will take you on a leisurely tour of one of London’s many gems.

It’s always a good idea to plan your journey beforehand - and don’t forget to find out how much it will cost for your ride before embarking.

You can find a list of the various and the most up to date charges here .

Plan your cycling tour with Bikemap

You want to get from A to B on your bike safely or plan your next adventure? We got you covered with routing that fits your needs - anywhere in the world!

Start planning now - it's free!

With Bikemap Web you can explore cycle paths worldwide using your favorite map. Choose a routing profile that suits your plans, fitness and bike type and then fine-tune the route until it's perfect.

5 reasons to try the Bikemap Route Planner

You are in good company.

Millions of users in our community have already planned their tours with Bikemap. Discover routes that you can use as a template and then tweak or extend.

Maps tailored for cyclists

Choose the type of map you need to find the best paths to go. The global heatmap helps you find the roads that are most popular among cyclists. Community reports and relevant points of interest give you additional information to consider while planning.

Find the perfect way

Search for places and add them to the list of waypoints. You can easily change or reorder them. Thanks to the various routing profiles, you'll find the best way to go along these places on your type of bike.

Inspect your route

While planning, you can always check distance, ascent, descent and the estimated time. The elevation curve gives you a live impression of the ups and downs along the way and easy tools to inspect them in detail.

Optimize the track

You can always change, add and remove way points also on the map to make sure the route leads you exactly as intended. After saving or publishing, you can change your route again at any time.

Planning is just the first step

Once you're done planning and ready for the ride, save the route and make sure to get the Bikemap App for turn-by-turn navigation.

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Three benefits of mobilising bike-share data and journey planners

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Posted: 5 December 2017 | Johan Herrlin | No comments yet

Johan Herrlin, CEO of Ito World, tells Intelligent Transport how bike-sharing schemes have thrived since their launch 10 years ago, and how they and their infrastructure are now a valuable source of data…

It is now 10 years since the launch of the world’s first large-scale bike-share scheme, Velib in Paris.

Since then, a thousand other schemes have been launched and bike-share systems are now prevalent across the globe – popping up all the way from New York to Melbourne.

Geographic growth has been accompanied with innovation and traditional docked schemes have been joined by dockless free-floating systems. Born out of universities in China, companies such as oBike , Ofo , and MoBike have revolutionised bike-sharing, allowing cyclists to leave their bikes anywhere in a city, not limited to specific stations.

Despite a divergence in the types of bike-share systems, the role of data in enhancing the customer experience is ubiquitous in both. Docked systems communicate the availability of bikes at nearby stations so users can remotely check to see if a bike is available. To avoid people having to spend time searching for a bike, free-floating schemes make GPS data available so nearby bikes can be found easily. In both cases, data is harnessed to help the user find an available bike so that they can start their journey quickly.

Citymapper, a global journey planner, has recently started including data from the Santander Cycles bike-share scheme in its London application. Combining information from bike-share schemes with the intelligence of journey planners in this way has the potential to greatly enhance the bike-share experience. Here are three possible benefits:

1. Identifying faster, safer routes

The nearest bike is not necessarily the best option. A journey planner will account for the bike’s location relative to the destination. This will provide the fastest possible journey, accounting for time both walking to the bike and cycling. In the case of docked systems, it will also account for dock availability at the end of a journey – there’s no point in arriving at a station to find all the docks full.

In addition, the route chosen will take advantage of the journey planner’s built-in knowledge of cycling routes. These routes combine speed and safety, ensuring fast, comfortable routes are taken advantage of. With bike-share data empowered in the journey planner, users can make the most of a city’s cycling infrastructure.

2. Encouraging new riders through multi-modal journeys

A great benefit of bike-share schemes is that they encourage incorporating cycling into a journey, along with other modes of transport. For example, you could take the train from Edinburgh to Kings Cross and then, using a Santander bike, cycle to your final destination through central London.

However, these trips often require complex planning and a wider knowledge of the bike-share system and the city. A journey planner, through its routing engine, could bridge this knowledge gap by automatically planning multi-modal journeys. Travellers might have no idea that a bike could fit so nicely into their journey. These additional, previously unconsidered journeys would allow users to avoid a change of trains at a busy station or speed up the ‘final mile’ of a trip from a station.

3. Improving reliability through rebalancing

Bikes need to be found where journeys start. If travellers can’t rely on a bike being nearby when they need it, they will not incorporate it into their regular trips. Rebalancing trucks for docked systems are used in some cities to deal with this problem. However, these are costly – both financially and environmentally.

Increasingly, schemes also use rider benefits to encourage users to take bikes from less popular starting points to busier ones. For example, some free-floating schemes offer free journeys: Capital Bikeshare, a docked system in Washington DC, offers prize draw tickets and membership extensions. However, the benefits are only offered to proactive users through the system’s application and therefore don’t encourage a large enough volume of movement.

Involving journey planners in this process offers two advantages. Firstly, the benefit is advertised to far more people – including those that may not be aware they could cycle home for free instead of paying for the tube. Secondly, and more significantly, those exposed to the benefit are targeted based on their journey choice – so that their final destination combines well with the rebalancing needs of the bike-share system.

Related topics Air Quality , Multimodality

Related modes Cycling

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Santander Bikes: taking London up a gear

BikeBiz 09/12/2016 News

Six years ago, the then-mayor of London Boris Johnson lobbied for the introduction of the first citywide cycle scheme to ever be introduced onto the bustling streets of the capital. With the aid of Transport for London, Serco, and significant support from Londoners, the hire system was officially implemented, changing the way people travel in the city. Fast-forward to the present day, and Santander’s bike scheme is doing extremely well. With a successful app launch under its belt and a new bike in development, head of operations at TfL David Eddington sat down with me to give his perspective on the past, present and future of Santander bikes.

There’s some confusion surrounding the origins of the London cycle scheme, could you clear that up for us?

The scheme started in 2010 under the direction of Boris Johnson as mayor. TfL followed that lead and created the service on his request. Some people believe that it was under Mayor Livingstone, but certainly, it was Boris who drove it forward into fruition. We went live on July 31st 2010, and we introduced the casual hire December of that year.

What key elements defined the success of the scheme?

We’ve been running for six years now, and we’ve amassed 53 million hires. When we went live I wasn’t sure that Londoners would take to it or not. The only reference we had was the Paris scheme, which had massive problems with theft and vandalism. In fact, it lost almost 90 per cent of its bikes in the first year, so we knew that ensuring that the bikes were secure would be an essential element of our own scheme’s success. We needed to keep its integrity; if people thought they could steal the bikes readily, then the whole scheme would have fallen over.

How many docking stations are currently in London?

As of right now there are 785 docking stations around the city. That makes just short of 22,000 docking points.

What system was put in place to evenly distribute the bikes?

Serco is contracted to operate the scheme for us. They have software packages that they use to run the numbers and basically guide their drivers to the stations in the mornings and take the bikes to places of high demand. It’s a constant challenge. It’s the greatest challenge that we have. At the end of the day, people just want to hire a bike and return it somewhere convenient.

What are the main benefits of membership?

You sign up once, you give your details once, and then you can go up straight away and unlock a bike. You don’t have to mess around with the terminal at all. You go straight to a dock and release a bike. We have 24-hour membership, which starts at £2, or an annual membership, which is £90.

What is the length of the average journey undertaken on a Santander bike?

We don’t have GPS trackers, so we know where a journey starts and ends, but we have no way of knowing where the rider has been in between. The average journey time for a member is around 15 minutes, but what’s more encouraging for TfL is that casual hires are at around 32 minutes in length, meaning that people are cycling for a significant period of time.

You recently released a mobile app, how has it been received by the public?

The app is really exciting for us. It’s the latest technology; more and more people are using it every day. It allows people to hire a bike without a key, and about ten per cent of our hires now come through the app. It’s also used a lot for checking to see availability, which is extremely useful for commuters.

How did Pashley win the contract for the next generation of Santander bikes?

We announced the plan and companies put in bids – each one presented different options and also a different bike. We evaluated value for money, and efficiency, and Serco was successful in winning the bid. They subcontracted the bike production to Pashley.

Serco, working with Pashley, was able to identify some of the common areas that needed improvement. These include accessibility of parts for easy repairs and maintenance, and updates to the lighting system. From a customer perspective, people commented that the bike is a bit heavy and it may be difficult to manoeuvre; with the new bike we’re using 24” wheels and a smaller frame that is 2kg lighter. We’re hoping that it’s going to encourage people who don’t currently use Santander bikes to have a go.

And when will the public see the new bikes?

The public will see those in operation by early 2018, and the plan is that we will replace the older, worn-out bikes as they come in, at around 500-600 bikes per year.

Brighton recently announced plans for a cycle scheme, do you think that this trend will continue across England?

Very much so. The first UK national bike share meeting was held yesterday, so there were various cities there. As you say, Brighton was there, Manchester is gearing up to assess bidders for their scheme, Reading, Slough, and Glasgow have their own schemes. Cycle share is definitely very much on the up.

Do you think that London provides a good example of how cycle schemes can work?

I’m not arrogant enough to say it’s perfect, but the proof is there – 53 million hires since we started. People wouldn’t use a scheme that didn’t work. We’ve learned lots of lessons that we really feel like people will benefit from. Even simple things like the location of docking stations, which is key to a successful scheme. We have a wealth of knowledge that we’re more than happy to share with other cities.

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