BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Early reports from TfL suggest that the Cycle Hire scheme has got off to a strong start with over 14,250 journeys made via hire bike in the first two days of launch.
The figure does fall far short of the eventual target of 40,000 additional journeys per day, though does indicate the bikes are not laying dormant.
Over 21,000 people had signed up to a membership by Sunday 1st, an increase of 9,000 since Friday’s launch.
"The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Just three days into our cycle hire scheme we’re seeing Londoners embracing the freedom of pedal power and are signing up in their droves.
"With every new day, these gleaming machines are transforming our streets and are putting us well on our way to becoming the best big cycling city in the world."
TfL has now said there were a few initial teething problems and has warned users that when returning a bike, a light located on the dock must turn green, otherwise the customer risks overcharging.
David Brown, the managing director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: "The biggest issue we’ve had is that a small number of customers are not putting their bikes back properly at the end of their journeys. When they re-dock their bikes, customers must get a green light and click at the end of every trip. If they don’t, we won’t know they’ve finished their journeys, and they risk being charged more in future."
Sadly it seems there are other teething troubles with the payment process. Earlier today @cyclehireapp tweeted: "Went past three cycle hire stations during lunchtime, all stuck in ‘processing your details’ spinning wheel screen."
