Bike hire in London: Santander Cycles, Lime, Forest and day hire compared
Three ways to rent a bike in London: Santander Cycles from a dock with a contactless card, a dockless e-bike from Lime, Forest, Voi or Bolt by app, or a shop or locker by the day. Pick the one that fits, then ride it the safe way.
- 800+ Santander docking stations
- 22 boroughs with Lime or Forest
- 3,400+ marked e-bike bays
Pick a scheme
No prices here on purpose: the operators change them by borough and by month, so the app is the only current number. Everything else you need to choose is on the card.
Santander Cycles
Docked · Pedal and e-bikesShort hops in central London, no app needed
- Pay
- Per 30 minutes, a day pass, or a membership
- Age
- 18 to hire, 14 to ride
- Where
- Central and inner London, 800+ docking stations
- Leave it
- Any dock with a free point
Tap a contactless card at the dock for a pedal bike; e-bikes need the app. One in six bikes is electric.
Lime
Dockless · E-bikesAn e-bike almost anywhere in inner London
- Pay
- Unlock fee plus per minute, bundles, or LimePrime
- Age
- 18
- Where
- 17 boroughs, the biggest dockless fleet
- Leave it
- A marked bay in most inner boroughs
Around 30,000 bikes and 3,250 bays. Not in Hounslow or Richmond, which chose other operators.
Forest
Dockless · E-bikesFree minutes on every ride, and the west and south-west
- Pay
- Unlock fee, free minutes, then per minute
- Age
- 18
- Where
- Around 20 boroughs, all of Richmond and Hounslow
- Leave it
- A round blue P on the map where the borough requires a bay
Every ride starts with 1 to 30 free minutes, more on a bike that needs moving. Riders have been insured against third-party claims since September 2026.
Voi and Bolt
Dockless · E-bikesA few boroughs where they are the council's pick
- Pay
- Unlock fee plus per minute; Bolt also prices by distance
- Age
- 18 for Bolt; Voi does not publish a London age
- Where
- Voi: Hounslow, Ealing, Southwark, Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, Barking and Dagenham. Bolt: Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham
- Leave it
- Bays and racks, under the borough rules
Both arrived in 2025. Dott and Tier, the earlier operators, have left London.
Brompton Bike Hire
Lockers · Folding bikes, some electricA bike that comes on the train and into the office
- Pay
- A flat charge per 24 hours, no membership
- Age
- 18
- Where
- Lockers at London rail stations and across Newham
- Leave it
- Any Brompton locker, or fold it and keep it with you
A folded bike goes on any Tube, train or bus at any time, which no other hire bike does.
Shop and tour hire
Shop hire · Hybrids, e-bikes, tandems, kids' bikesA family, a child's bike or a whole day out
- Pay
- By the hour with a daily cap, or by the day
- Age
- Set by the shop
- Where
- Shops near the South Bank, the parks and the big stations
- Leave it
- Back at the shop by closing; lock it anywhere meanwhile
The only option with child seats, children's bikes and tandems. Bring photo ID and a card.
Side by side
| Scheme | Bikes | Pay | Age | Leave it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santander Cycles | Pedal and e-bikes | Per 30 minutes, a day pass, or a membership | 18 to hire, 14 to ride | Any dock with a free point |
| Lime | E-bikes | Unlock fee plus per minute, bundles, or LimePrime | 18 | A marked bay in most inner boroughs |
| Forest | E-bikes | Unlock fee, free minutes, then per minute | 18 | A round blue P on the map where the borough requires a bay |
| Voi and Bolt | E-bikes | Unlock fee plus per minute; Bolt also prices by distance | 18 for Bolt; Voi does not publish a London age | Bays and racks, under the borough rules |
| Brompton Bike Hire | Folding bikes, some electric | A flat charge per 24 hours, no membership | 18 | Any Brompton locker, or fold it and keep it with you |
| Shop and tour hire | Hybrids, e-bikes, tandems, kids' bikes | By the hour with a daily cap, or by the day | Set by the shop | Back at the shop by closing; lock it anywhere meanwhile |
The rules on a hire bike
- Not on the pavementHighway Code rule 64. Some boroughs fine riders on set stretches.
- Lights after darkRule 60. Hire bikes have them built in.
- Bus lanes are fineRule 65. Nearly every London bus lane allows bikes.
- No helmet lawRule 59 advises one. No licence or insurance needed either.
- Walk across zebra crossingsRule 81, unless there is a cycle crossing beside it.
- Parks have their own rulesRoyal Parks: roads and marked paths only. Regent’s Park fines red-light runners £50.
Then ride it the safe way
One set of directions for every hire bike
Pick Santander Cycles, Lime or Forest in the planner and the route starts at a bike, follows cycleways and quiet streets, and ends where that operator lets you finish: a dock with space or a marked bay. Free, on iPhone, Android and the web.
- 3
- schemes with directions in the app
- 3,400+
- e-bike bays the ride can end at
- 23,000+
- racks for a hired or your own bike
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Santander Cycles: day pass rides went to 60 minutes (April 2025); Serco’s contract runs to 2031 with in-dock e-bike charging and a new app promised through 2026.
- Hounslow switched to Forest and Voi (August 2025); Richmond to Forest alone (June 2026); Hackney signed Lime and Voi with a bus-fare price cap (October 2025).
- Lime launched LimePrime (March 2026); Forest introduced free minutes that vary by bike (November 2025) and insured every rider (September 2026).
- Transport for London is to license dockless bikes London-wide under the April 2026 devolution act, once the government passes the secondary legislation.
Facts are from Transport for London, Lime, Forest and Bolt's own pages, the London Assembly's September 2026 analysis of dockless e-bikes, the boroughs and GOV.UK, each linked on its card. Last checked 6 October 2026. For the e-bike schemes in depth see e-bikes in London. Spotted a change? Tell us.
Hiring a bike in London: your questions
How do I hire a bike in London?
Three ways. Santander Cycles, Transport for London’s docked scheme, hires a pedal bike with a contactless card at any of its 800 or so docking stations, or an e-bike through its app. Lime, Forest, Voi and Bolt hire dockless e-bikes through their own apps: scan the bike, ride, and leave it in a marked bay where the borough requires one. Bike shops and tour companies hire by the hour or the day, with child seats and tandems the schemes do not offer.
Which is cheaper, Santander Cycles or Lime?
For a short hop Santander Cycles is usually cheaper, because it charges per 30-minute block for a pedal bike and its day pass covers unlimited 60-minute rides; the dockless operators charge an unlock fee plus every minute, so a slow ride adds up. For an e-bike across a borough with no docking stations, Lime or Forest is the only choice. Prices change often and vary by borough, so check the operator’s app before you unlock.
Can a tourist hire a Santander Cycle?
Yes. The docking station terminals take all major UK and international contactless cards, no account needed, and print a release code for a pedal bike. The e-bikes can only be hired through the Santander Cycles app or a membership key. You must be 18 to hire and 14 to ride.
Where can I leave a Lime or Forest bike in London?
In a marked parking bay in the boroughs that require one, which include Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, the City of London, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth, Merton, Hounslow, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Lewisham, and otherwise at a cycle rack or the kerb edge without blocking the pavement. The app shows the bays, and the Cyclemate planner ends a hire ride at one. A badly parked bike costs up to £20 and, repeated, a ban.
Do I need a helmet to ride a hire bike in London?
No. The Highway Code advises a helmet but does not require one, and a hire e-bike needs no licence, insurance or registration. You must not ride on the pavement, you must use lights after dark, and you must be 18 to hire from any scheme.
Can I take a hire bike on the Tube or a train?
Only a folding one. A Brompton from Brompton Bike Hire goes on any Tube, train or bus at any time. A Santander Cycle or a dockless e-bike cannot be taken on the network, and since March 2025 non-folding e-bikes of any kind are banned from the Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line and DLR.
Which boroughs have no dockless e-bikes?
Ten outer London boroughs had no dockless e-bike scheme in September 2026, according to the London Assembly, with the operators concentrated in inner London and the west. Santander Cycles covers central and inner London only. Transport for London is due to license dockless bikes London-wide once the government passes the secondary legislation, which the Mayor has pressed for.
Does Cyclemate give directions for hire bikes?
Yes, and it is free. Choose Santander Cycles, Lime or Forest in the planner and the directions start at a bike or a dock with bikes, follow the SuperSafe route along cycleways and quiet streets, and end at a docking station with space or a parking bay the operator will accept.
