Santander Cycles is the self-service, bike-sharing scheme for short journeys in inner London.
The official Santander Cycles app from Transport for London is the only app to send bike release codes straight to your smartphone. So you can skip past the docking station terminal and get on your bike quicker.
Simply register with your bank card, and use the app to ‘Hire now’ from a nearby docking station. Follow the instructions to get your bike release code. Tap the code into the docking point and you’re good to go!
You can also:
• See up-to-the-minute information about which docking stations have bikes and spaces available
• Plan a journey with an easy to follow map
• Receive notifications – for example, summarising the cost at the end of your hire
• View your recent journeys and charges
• Save your favourite docking stations
• Become a London Rider - complete challenges and hire cycles to earn entries into a weekly prize draw!
Each bike release code is valid for 10 minutes at your chosen docking station.
Please note the app doesn’t reserve bikes. If there are no bikes available at the docking station, don’t worry. Use the app to find a nearby docking station with bikes, and get another bike release code to use there. You won’t be charged until you use the release code.
You must be 18 or over to hire a bike, and 14 or over to ride one. For full Santander Cycles terms and conditions, see tfl.gov.uk/santandercycles
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Santander Cycles FAQ
Is Santander Cycles free?
Yes, Santander Cycles is completely free and it doesn't have any in-app purchases or subscriptions.
Is Santander Cycles legit?
⚠️ The Santander Cycles app has poor ratings and negative feedback. Users seem unsatisfied with its performance or features.
How exactly am I supposed to put in my phone number to receive the confirmation code when there is no ability to put in a plus sign in the phone number field? Have you not figured that tourists might also want to rent a bike? Basic stuff. Failed.
Buggy
Very buggy app. Often have to select things multiple times for them to take effect e.g. purchase single hire. Things randomly move around while trying to select them on the map view. Worst of all the app completely crashes if I so much as touch the search bar at top of the map.
I can actually hire bikes which is something at least but pretty poor overall.
So, so bad!
Can’t save credit card if it’s not UK based. Cant utilise cards previously saved on your account. Can’t update preferences. Can’t log in using saved passwords. Yet another third world experience in the UK - just absurd. Please just copy the citibikes app and stop wasting everyone’s time with this garbage.
Useless
I just wanted to report an abandoned bike, constant errors, couldn’t find the location and kept saying the permissions weren’t correct! They were! Restarted multiple times, latest version etc.
Doesn’t work
Used this app twice and both times I paid the fee and never released a code to get a bike, horrible service don’t use
Cyclesundays code does not work
The Cyclesundays code does not work. It always says internal server error
App
Just fix the app, it’s ****
The bikes are great though, London should be more cycle friendly imo
Difficult to use
App is useless. Doesn't keep you signed in, doesn’t support auto-fill, doesn’t save payment details, doesn’t support Apple Pay.
Useless, useless, useless
My wife and I both tried to rent bikes from Stratford and were charged £3.30 each. Initially failed to generate any release code, followed by release code not working at all. I would give 0 stars if I could.
Useless
Other than the map telling you where bikes are, the app is useless. It doesn’t work with Apple Pay , and you can’t save your card details either. So, every time I try to use it, it asks for my card details. And tbh I’ve only managed to get my card accepted about 1 in 5 times. Always some cryptic error authenticating the card with the bank. Almost every time I’ve needed the app (when I’m not carrying the key) I’ve had to resort to using the much more expensive Lime bikes, as their app works every time and I’m riding in 20 seconds instead of 20 minutes.