Rental bikes for tourists in London

London is expanding its range of services for tourists: Around 5,000 rental bikes have been available to tourists and residents since the end of last week. The bikes are “parked” at 300 fixed locations in central London. The number of rental bikes is set to be gradually increased to a total of 6,000.

Discover London by bike on your vacation: For a rental fee of one British pound, residents and tourists on vacation alike can set off on a half-hour ride on a rental bike. Longer rental periods for bikes in London cost more, but you rarely need a bike for more than half an hour to reach your destination in central London. The rental-bike project for tourists has already been successfully introduced in other tourist cities such as Paris, Montreal and Barcelona, where tourists have embraced the bikes and make frequent use of them on vacation. Now it is London's turn to offer public bikes for hire. The three-speed rental bikes are called “Boris Bikes,” after the London mayor who was instrumental in getting the project off the ground.

Critics had argued beforehand that London was not a bike-friendly city, since the British metropolis had too few cycle lanes and too much traffic. However, the project's first weekend got off to a satisfactory start. The individual “docking stations,” as the rental-bike locations in London are called, were put to good use by “eager” cyclists. Rental bikes for tourists in London add another dimension to the tourist offering of this world city. There is definitely no cheaper way to get around London.