Santander Cycles has record September with biggest number of hires in London since the pandemic began

TfL’s flagship cycle hire scheme is continuing to grow, with the greatest September hires in the scheme’s 11-year history as more Londoners returned to work.

During the month, there were 1,219,804 hires, with an average of 40,660 per day – far more than the 37,917 average daily hires in September last year and the 32,323 average daily hires in the three Septembers before the pandemic.

Returning office workers contributed to September’s record-breaking performance. With an average of 7,573 daily hires made between 0700 and 1000 on weekdays, TfL experienced the largest amount of Santander Cycles commuter hires since March 2020 last month. The number of individuals using the Waterloo and King’s Cross hubs, as well as docking stations near National Rail stations, has increased noticeably. On September 22, participants of the scheme hired 29,046 bikes, the biggest number of membership hires in the plan’s history. The week of September 23 to 30 had a 28% increase in hiring compared to the same week last year and a 54% increase compared to the same seven days in 2019.

For as little as £2 a day, Santander Cycles can be rented for an unlimited number of 30-minute journeys. The Santander Cycles app also just reached a new milestone of 10 million hires. Santander Cycles is a free app that can be found in the Apple and Android App Stores. Customers who use the app can bypass the terminal and receive release codes delivered directly to their phones, allowing them to rent their bike more swiftly and simply.

To capitalise on this success, the Santander Cycles app just announced the new ‘London Riders’ scheme, which includes a new weekly prize draw. One lucky rider will get a free annual membership as well as five free beverages at Caffè Nero every week. Both iOS and Android apps are available for the London Riders scheme.