More than one million Santander Cycles were hired in London last month, with the average of 40,660 hires per day a record for September.
The Transport for London scheme, which was introduced back in 2010, has enjoyed a rise in hire numbers as more people return to the office following the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1,219,804 total hires made during September.
The 40,660 daily hires is up on the 37,917 average daily hires from September 2020, with the September average for 2017, 2018 and 2019 just 32,323 daily hires.
TfL also reported an average of 7,573 daily hires between 7am and 10am on weekdays last month, the highest number of “commuter hires” since before the pandemic.
On 22 September there were 29,046 hires made by members, a record amount for the Santander Cycles membership scheme.
Meanwhile, hires between 23 and 30 September were 54 per cent up on hire numbers during the same seven-day period in 2019, and 28 per cent higher than 2020.
“Santander Cycles were a lockdown lifeline for many Londoners, so I’m delighted that the scheme is now playing a key part in London’s recovery from the pandemic,” said Will Norman, London Walking and Cycling Commissioner.
“Our record September hires echoes the wider trend of more Londoners choosing to cycle. We are determined to do all we can to build on this further – including by introducing electric Santander Cycles to the network and expanding the scheme to new areas – to ensure a green and sustainable recovery for our city.”
Santander Cycles can be hired from £2 a day for an unlimited number of 30-minute journeys, with users able to hire a bike via the free Santander Cycles app.
