Plan on visiting London any time soon and you might not have to hail a black taxi cab to get around; instead you might be able to rent – or “hire” as they say in the British capital – a bike instead. The city, which is also in the process of installing new bicycle friendly lanes, has introduced 6,000 new high tech bikes for people for to use.
As part of a system that went live last week, users can register online for a year’s membership or pay an access fee for the week or day – ranging from £45 for a year to £1 for a day. After accessing a bike the rental costs are a tad high too, with an hourly rate of £1, and if you keep the bike for more than 24 hours you’ll get hit with a £50 fee. That’s probably too hefty a cost for most commuters, and some have asked why regular riders wouldn’t prefer to buy their own bike. Jon Snow, a presenter for “Channel 4 News” and also presidents of the National Cyclists’ Organization further offered a first-hand opinion of the bikes for The Financial Times, noting that the bikes are a bit heavy, especially compared to his own titanium ride.
The bikes will also utilize what is being called a “complex system of keys and passcodes” just to gain access and unlock the bikes. Inside the bikes are a Radio Frequency Identification Device – or RFID chips – and these can track when the bike is out of a docking station, and the time used. Some other complaints already be heard in London are that these Barley sponsored bikes won’t work with the Oyster cards and instead require the aforementioned membership. So much for making these easy to rent/hire!
Still we see it as progress to help get people out of those black cabs and using the blue superhighway bike lanes that will soon connect London. We can dream anyway!
yeah I think t is a great idea but £50 for a day is expensive in my opinion. You can go down to hlafords and buy a bike for about £150 and use it as much as you want.