Boris Bikes are go! 5,000 bicycles now for hire in London

London’s long-awaited mass cycle hire scheme has launched today with 315 docking stations and 5000 bikes available.

Dubbed ‘Boris Bikes’ by its fans, the scheme stretches from Notting Hill Gate to Wapping, and from Regents Park to Borough Market. The docking stations that house the bikes when they are not being used are dotted every 300m in central London.

Speaking at the launch event this morning the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Overnight racks have been filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses.”

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “This scheme will give thousands of people the opportunity to discover that bicycles are the quickest, cleanest and most styish way to get around the city.”

How much does it cost to use the Boris Bikes?

In order to use the scheme you need to pay £3 for a key, which needs to be activated before it will release a bike. Thereafter the following fees aply:

To sign up for daily, weekly or annual memberships visit www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire

What are the London cycle hire bikes like to ride?

The Barclays Bikes will be ridden off and into kerbs, dropped, scraped and generally made to work hard for a living, but a test ride suggests the bikes are up to the job.

Whilst not the lightest of machines, the bikes feel sure-footed on the road – a quality that will reassure novice riders. The gears are easy to operate and the bike’s lights are on permanently. Verdict: Well-designed, easy to ride and tough

The history of mass cycle hire schemes

Cycle insurance

Cycle insurance from the ETA includes new-for-old, cover for accidental damage, £1m third party insurance, personal accident cover and if you breakdown, we will even come out and recover you and your bike. Get an instant online quote below.