TfL offers free bike hire to promote launch of Cycle Sundays

TfL launched Cycle Sundays at the end of May and have now announced that on Sundays throughout June, they are offering free, 30-minute Santander bike rides, with e-bikes available for a £1 supplement.

Cycle Sunday is a multi-facetted programme that aims to encourage all Londoners, experienced cyclists or not, to enjoy the capital by bike this summer.

The Cycle Sundays webpage provides a list of suggested routes, training resources, safety and security advice; and a list of cycling events taking place during the summer.

There are also links to a variety of offers including, as of now, the Santander Cycles  offer. The free hire is claimed by downloading the Santander Cycles app or heading to a docking station terminal, choosing a Day Pass, and using the code CYCLESUNDAYS. Santander e-bikes will be available to app users for an additional £1 per half hour journey.

Hires longer than 30 minutes incur an extra £1.65 for each additional 30 minutes for pedal bikes, and £3.30 for e-bikes.

The suggested routes have been selected with the involvement of groups such British Cycling, Cycle Sisters, JoyRiders, London Cycling Campaign, Sustrans and Wheels for Wellbeing. The suggested routes are searchable by district, an exampled being the Ally Pally and the North London Heights routes, which would have been the closest to your writer when I lived in Wood Green an extremely long time ago.

On top of this, cycling in London will also be boosted by the arrival of 1,400 new e-bikes this summer, more than tripling the number available,

The Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman said: ‘The boom we’ve seen in cycling in the capital over recent years has been fantastic, and we are determined to make cycling as accessible and affordable as possible, to encourage even more Londoners to give it a go. This is why I am delighted that Santander Cycles will be offering unlimited free rides every Sunday in June, as part of Cycle Sundays.

‘As the weather gets warmer, this is perfect time to give cycling a try, for free, taking advantage of our growing network of cycleways, low traffic routes and off-road routes. This is just one of the ways the Mayor and TfL are working to build a better, fairer and greener London for everyone.’

David Eddington, Head of Cycle Hire at TfL, said: ‘TfL Cycle Sundays offers a range of leisure routes across London which are perfect for beginners looking to get into cycling.

‘Cycling is not only brilliant for your mental and physical health, but also a great way to explore and see more of London. We hope that enabling all Londoners to use Santander Cycles for free every Sunday will get more people out cycling, as well as giving them a chance to try out our brilliant bikes.’