Barclays Cycle Hire
Barclays Cycle Hire (translated as Barclays bike hire ) is a London taken into operation on 30 July 2010 a public bike rental system. 5000 bicycles at 315 stations were at the start of the Transport for London (TfL ) operated system in the center of the British capital available. The system will be gradually expanded to a total of 6000 bikes at 400 stations. The 81- million-pound expansion was due to software problems, first for months on ice.
Colloquially, the bikes are also known as Boris Bikes, the name of the located on the introduction of the system in the Official London mayor Boris Johnson. Johnson claimed the system itself, however, it was announced by his predecessor Ken Livingstone. Boris Johnson hopes that the bikes will be soon "as the black taxis and red buses " are among London.
Utilization
In the first three weeks of operation of the system, 60,000 customers had registered, which have covered a total of 250,000 trips. On 10 September 2010 the brand was exceeded by 500,000 rides and more than 80,000 customers a subscription had secured. After two and a half months have been made well over a million trips and more than 94,000 Londoners have to register. On a typical weekday 20,000 trips are carried out - an average of more than three per bike. And they are used as intended, for short distances: 93 percent of the trips are free, so take less than 30 minutes.
Operation
Registration and Rates
Users must purchase a subscription. This is for 24 hours ( two pounds ), 7 days ( ten pounds) or one year ( 90 pounds ) online on the website of Transport for London ( TfL) available. By mail, the user will then receive an activation key, which is required to use the system for the first time can. Activation key fails with an additional fee of three pounds to book. A notification was until December 3, 2010, only online with a UK postal address possible. Thus, for example tourist could not use the system. Since November 2010, short-term subscriptions can be purchased. It is a credit card from VISA or MasterCard for renting a bicycle needs.
In addition to the subscription time-dependent usage fees must be paid. Here are the first 30 minutes. Then the next half hour costs one pound, then the price rises sharply. As in other cities with similar public Fahrradleihsystemen also should end within half an hour and the bike will be released back into a station, rather than complete it and leave useless for others through this progressive tariff system the vast number of trips. In practice, this means that it makes more sense to return the bike before the end of the first half hour and directly re- rented again, take it to borrow over a longer period.
Sample fares:
A borrowed bike can be returned to any station, so it must not be brought back to the starting point. After a lockout time of 5 minutes, the same bike (or other ) can be borrowed immediately.
Bicycles
The bikes offered in London are made in Canada and are based on Bixi, which offered in Montreal since 2009, public bicycle rental system. They should have a unit price of 350 pounds.
Unlike other systems, such as the Paris Vélib ' bikes have no lock, ie they can not be connected on the go ( to briefly go into a store, for example ). So you can be assured only in the stations. In the first two months since the launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire bikes have been stolen five.
Financing
The cost of the construction of the system is estimated at 140 million pounds. The financial group Barclays headed for 25 million pounds and in return received the naming rights to the system.
Expansion of bike paths
The commissioning of the system was also launched a progressive development of specialized bicycle routes across London. By 2015, 12 so-called Barclays Cycle Superhighways are planned, two of which have already been opened in the summer of 2010. These specially marked routes are characterized by a continuous blue mark on the ground, a width of at least 1,50 meters and conversions at road crossings. Together with the rental bikes they should make cycling in London popular and increase the safety of cyclists on the road.