TfL Santander bikes decline in e-bike boom
- Safer Highways
- Jan 27, 2025
- 3 min read
While cycling in London continues to grow, and more and more shared e-bikes are seen on, and often cluttering, London streets, Transport for London’s (TfL) flagship cycle hire scheme has seen a record decline in users.
The number of TfL cycle hires declined by more than a quarter in 2023, data published by the transport operator shows.
Last year saw a modest increase of almost 3%, however the number of hires remains lower than over the past decade.
However, the proportion of people cycling in London in 2023 reached levels not seen since the Covid-19 pandemic, where social distancing saw more people choose cycling over public transport, the latest data available from the government’s National Travel Survey shows.
And while TfL bike usage is dropping, one plausible reason why is the rise of rental bike apps such as Lime and Forest, which have become a common sign on London’s streets.
CoMoUK, a national charity on the public benefits of shared transport, has been researching bike share schemes since 2018.
Chief executive Richard Dilks said: “In London, there’s been big growth in bike shares, really big growth in the last couple of years.
“There are more shared bikes now, there are also shared bikes in areas that never had them before.”
However the decline in TfL cycles, also called Santander Cycles, has been noted by transport officials in the capital.
An active travel review published by Transport for London in December reported: “In 2023 demand on Santander Cycles dropped by 26%, following a sharp decrease in the number of hires by casual users.
“This reflects the impact of some changes to the fare system in late 2022 and the increased competition from dockless cycle hire schemes in London, both of which are being mitigated through improvements to the Santander Cycles offer.”
In September 2022, Transport for London changed its pricing structure for bike hires.
Where previously, a one-off £2 charge covered an unlimited number of 30-minute rides per day, this was replaced with a £1.65 flat rate for each 30-minute ride.
Dilks notes that the decline in casual users could be down to the cost of living pressures facing households in London.
He said: “Across all operators, right across the economy, you see people reporting discretionary spend and discretionary trips are down in lots of instances.
“There’s a really broad point there about the pound in people’s pockets, how people are feeling economically.”
TfL e-bikes, which were also introduced in 2022, cost £3.30 for up to 30 minutes whereas a pay-as-you-go Lime rental is £1 to unlock plus 23p per minute, making a 30-minute journey cost £7.99.
Why is TfL losing out to Lime?
With TfL e-bikes costing less than half as much as its largest competitor, it is unlikely that price alone is the reason for the decline in Santander bike usage.
Billy, a London-based lawyer who cycles to work and former cycling instructor, said: “Ultimately, it is a trade off between cost and convenience.”
TfL bikes use fixed docking stations, meaning cyclists are required to dock their bikes at specific stations, whereas Lime and Forest users have more options to leave their bikes.
Dilks explained this is a key limitation of TfL bikes.
He said: “The downside to docking bays is that that makes it expensive to operate and to put new stuff in is expensive, and requires planning permissions.
“Consequently, the scheme is captive to more or less Zone One and Canary Wharf. And of course, there’s a heck of a lot of London, and that doesn’t cover it.”
A cycling policy expert who asked not to be named due to their position in a local authority agreed: “They cost a fortune to install.”
TfL declined to disclose the average cost of installing a new docking station.
Responding to a Freedom of Information request, a TfL spokesperson said: “We are currently retendering the scheme’s operating contract, which involves bidders pricing the cost of station installation.
“Providing the requested information would prejudice our negotiating position and ability to secure best value for money in the new contract.”
However, TfL data published in response to a Freedom of Information request from South West Londoner shows a decline in the number of docking stations installed each year.
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