London’s cycle hire scheme will be out of action for four days from this Friday as Transport for London upgrades its systems ahead of launching a new app.
Santander Cycles, commonly known as Boris Bikes, will be unavailable from 9pm on Friday, 13 November, until 9pm on Tuesday, 17 November.
That means no one will be able to hire a bike at any point across the weekend or for most of Tuesday, with the scheme out of operation throughout Saturday, 14 November, Sunday, 15 November, and Monday, 16 November.
TfL has confirmed that every way of hiring a bike will be switched off during the shutdown. Customers will not be able to hire through the existing app, with a membership key, or at a docking station terminal, and they will not be able to access their Santander Cycles accounts until the system is restored.
The closure is necessary to upgrade TfL’s systems ahead of the launch of a new Santander Cycles app, which will replace the existing version. TfL said: “From 21:00 on Friday 13 until 21:00 on Tuesday 17 November, the Santander Cycles scheme will be unavailable while we upgrade our systems in preparation for the launch of a new Santander Cycles app.”
The transport authority has not provided further details about what the new app will offer. What it has made clear is that the existing app will stop working when the shutdown begins on Friday evening, so anyone who usually hires bikes using their phone will need to switch to the updated service.
TfL is urging customers to pre-order the new app before the upgrade. The new app is expected to become available on Tuesday, 17 November, and customers who pre-order it through their phone’s app store will have it automatically installed when it launches, provided their device settings allow automatic downloads.
For anyone who relies on the scheme, the timing is awkward. The shutdown covers a full weekend, so people who regularly use Santander Cycles for commuting, shopping or travelling around central London will need to make alternative arrangements from Friday evening onwards.
TfL suggests public transport, walking, or other available cycle hire services during the shutdown, and says its Journey Planner can help passengers find alternative routes across the capital.
The scheme is expected to resume at 9pm on Tuesday, 17 November, once the upgrade is complete.
The cycle hire shutdown is not the only planned closure on the way. The Elizabeth line will be almost entirely closed for a weekend at the end of November, on Saturday, 28 and Sunday, 29 November, while TfL and Network Rail carry out renewal work.
Cycle hire has also been in the news in Putney, where TfL has refused to restore parking bays outside a GP surgery that were replaced with cycle hire docks.
