As an unknowing 18-year old I started my daily commuting life as an avid tube traveller, however over the past seven years it’s gradually dawned on me that having instant access to oxygen is a good thing, not having to walk 300 yards in order to travel 100 yards is a great, and not having rude people push and shove you is actually quite pleasant. I can’t quite believe it’s taken me until my mid-20’s to figure out that walking and getting buses, although it takes slightly longer, is far less upsetting and much better for the soul than being stuck in a sweaty underground dungeon of full of angry commuters.
So when jolly old Boris became Mayor and introduced the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme it seemed like a dream come true. No more relying on public transport - just yourself and your ability to not get flattened by London drivers! I had visions of groups of commuters (myself included) cycling to work singing “doe a deer a female deer” a la The Sound of Music. Brilliant.
Of course my dreams were temporarily shattered when I learnt that you had to register and use the bikes regularly if you were going to get your money’s worth… however, this is no longer the case! Huzzah! You can now use the bikes on a ‘pay as you go’ type scheme, so last weekend I gathered some willing friends and took full advantage! So if you’re thinking of doing the same yourself (which I highly recommend!) here’s a run-down on how it works and what it’s like…
How to Rent a Boris Bike
1 - Find a docking station and go to the terminal. All you need is your debit / credit card - you can’t use cash.
2 - Follow the on-screen directions… it’s pretty simple - you just have to agree to the terms and conditions, say how many bikes you want to hire and how long you want access to them for.
3 - You’ll then be asked if you want to rent your bike straight away. Assuming you do, you press ‘Yes’ and a slip will be printed with a release code on it. Once you have the code, simply pick the bike you want from the docking station and type in the code on the pad on the left hand side (it’s touch sensitive so you don’t need to press the buttons).
4 - If it’s worked then the light on the pad will flash amber and eventually green. Once it’s green lift the handlebars up slightly and pull the bike back towards you to release it. If it flashes red it could be that a fault has been registered with the bike so try another one.
5 - Hit the road Jack! You’re now free to explore London by bike! Huzzah!
Once you're done, you can return the bike to any docking station - just ride up and click the bike back into one of the empty spaces. Done!
Cost
As far as charges go, you pay a flat-out access fee: £1 for 1 day, £5 for 7 days and if you’re a registered member you can pay £45 for the year.
Any charges after that are based on your usage and will be charged to your card accordingly: under 30mins is free, up to 1 hour is £4, and it goes all the way up to the 24 hour mark which will set you back £50.
The Bike
The bike itself is nothing spectacular, but I guess that’s fine for zipping around the city. It has lights, you can strap your bag onto the front and there’s a bell… but there’s absolutely no suspension and the “gears” are… well… to be fair, they’re rubbish. There’s only three– 1 and 2 are exactly the same and 3 is only slightly different. So really, much like Charlie Sheen, these bikes have one speed and that’s GO.
For information about cycling routes, a full list of charges and fines, and a map of docking stations, visit the TFL website.
Happy cycling!!!
