Tours of London- London Cycle Hire Scheme

London has now initiated an innovative bicycle scheme to encourage people to travel around faster and also as a way of discouraging hectic traffic.

London's public bicycle scheme is a great way to travel around the city - and the first half an hour is free! Get yourself a "Boris bike" and get riding.

London's Barclays Cycle Hire is a public bike sharing scheme for shorter journeys around the capital. There are more than 8,000 bikes at 570 locations across London. More than 17 million journeys have been made on the bikes since the scheme was launched in 2010.

The "Boris bikes" (named after London's Mayor Boris Johnson), are available to casual users - including non-UK residents - as well as members.

The bikes are easy to hire – simply swipe your membership key, credit or debit card, grab a bike and go. After you've paid your daily, weekly or yearly access fee, your first half-hour is free, with no additional charge, provided the bicycle is returned on time.

When you've finished your journey, just drop the bike back to one of the many docking stations across London. Cycle Hire docking stations are located across nine London boroughs and in several Royal Parks in Central London.

If you want to hire a bike for a full day or longer, it may be cheaper to rent it from one of London's many bicycle hire companies.

The easiest way to use a bike is to sign up online at Transport for London’s Barclays Cycle Hire web page, for a membership key (£3). The scheme is also open to casual users who aren't registered with it. As a casual user, you simply need to swipe your Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card and purchase your access period: either 24 hours or seven days.

Cycle Hire Access Fees are as follows: £2 one day; £10 one week (7 days); £90 annual membership. Cycle Hire Usage Charges are free up to 30 minutes; £1 from 30 minutes to 1 hour; £4 up to 1.5 hours; £6 up to 2 hours; £10 up to 2.5 hours; £15 up to 3 hours; £35 up to 6 hours; £50 up to 24 hours (maximum usage fee).

Penalties and Other Charges

If you don't return your bike, or you bring it back late or damaged, you may be charged up to £300. 

Barclays Cycle Superhighways in London

Barclays Cycle Superhighways are cycle lanes into Central London from outer London. The bright blue Cycle Superhighways aim to provide cyclists with safer, faster and more direct journeys into the city. Four Barclays Cycle Superhighways have launched: CS2: Bow to Aldgate; CS3: Barking to Tower Gateway; CS7: Merton to the City; CS8: Wandsworth to Westminster.

Are you considering visiting London and the U.K.? Then contact the London official visitor agency-Visit London and Partners at: 08701 566 366  visitorinfo@londonandpartners.com     

You can also contact the City of London Information Centre: Opposite St Paul's Cathedral:

City of London, Guildhall, PO Box 270, London, EC2P 2EJ     pro@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Telephone: 020 7606 3030

They can offer you credible, pursuable and realistic information and advice on the following fronts: Cheap flights to London, hotels in London, cheap hotels in London, boutique hotels in London, bed and breakfast in London, guest houses in London, holiday apartments in London, timeshare accommodation in London, youth hostels in London, transportation in London, bus tours in London, river tours in London, coach tours of the U.K., entertainment in London, tourist attractions in London etc.