The scheme was established in 2010 and provides Londoners and visitors with the opportunity to rent one of 12,000+ bikes across 800 stations and 21,000 docking points.
From 2010 to 2017 Serco designed, built and operated the first generation of the scheme. Our role included:
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Bike distribution and supply
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Bike and dock maintenance
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Contact Centre
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IT
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Billing and Finance support
We achieved and delivered operational excellence using data and analysis to drive the planning, distribution and redistribution of bikes to meet user demands throughout the day.
Following this success, in 2017 we were re-awarded the contract and continue to be responsible for:
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Bike distribution and supply
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Bike and dock maintenance
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Operations Centre
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Design, build and delivery of changes.
As part of our contract extension, we were the first scheme in the UK to design and launch a customer App. The app made cycle hire even easier than before. Via the app customers can find their nearest docking station, check bike availability and even hire without needing to visit the terminal.
Interesting Facts
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In 2017, with our contract renewed, we drew on the learnings from the first seven years of operation and proposed a new generation of cycle designed in conjunction with our bike manufacturing partner the UK based Pashley Cycles.
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The new bike had an improved robustness of design and also improved the whole life cost through designing in features that eased the maintenance effort enabling on street repair, and workshop down time to improve the availability of bikes.
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In March 2021 the scheme passed 100 million hires, a significant milestone in the scheme’s 10-year history. This equates to more than 10 rides for every Londoner and follows record-breaking hires in February.
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In 2020, despite a reduction in journeys across London due to the pandemic, hire numbers exceeded those of the previous year by around 6,000 hires.
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2020 also saw 12 of the top 15 busiest days in the scheme's history, demonstrating that the scheme played an even more crucial role in keeping London moving during the coronavirus pandemic as more people have chosen cycling for both exercise and transport.
Technical advancement
We have been at the forefront of technical advancement and innovation which we believe is key for the continue development of London Cycle Hire and future high quality urban mobility operations.
In 2017 we introduced the Blaze Laserlight as a key safety improving feature that significantly increases the visibility of the bike when on the move amongst road traffic in low light conditions.
We also introduced an advanced and market leading asset management platform which has enabled greater control of stock through integration with SAP, analytics and reporting studio for enhancing forecasting capabilities.
Our tailored logistics (distribution, reactive and preventative maintenance) and scheduling tool using AI technology was a finalist in the IBM Beacon Awards for innovation.