London's Santander Cycles welcomes its first electric bikes

PBSC E-FITs on the streets of London

PBSC is delighted to announce that our biggest bike share system just got a bit bigger – by 500 of our E-FIT bikes, to be exact! That’s right, since October 6, 2022, London’s tried-and-true Santander Cycles solution has added 500 of our electric pedal-assist bikes to the mix, for a total fleet of 14,350 bikes and e-bikes, and 839 Smart Stations.

With more than 100 million trips made so far since launching in 2010, our London bike share program (operated by Transport for London) is one of the longest-running and most successful bike share systems PBSC has deployed anywhere in the world. With 10.9 million trips taken in 2021 and a new milestone reached in July 2022 of 1.3 million bike rentals during that month alone (according to data provided by Transport for London), our beloved shared bikes seem to have become indispensable within London transport.

Outfitted with a 250-watt Brose motor and 24-inch wheels, our lively and lightweight E-FIT will make a perfect addition to the system! With three speeds, and battery autonomy lasting up to 70 km, it can propel you up to 25 km/h , like all PBSC bikes, the E-FIT features best-in-class engineering and rider-friendly ergonomic design.

100 million trips and counting

Not to be outdone, Santander Cycles’ trusted fleet of over 10,000 ICONIC bikes continues to meet the public transit needs of London citizens and tourists, and is renowned for its sustainability, reliability, and efficiency – especially in a busy, bustling city commonly known to have traffic congestion challenges.

By adding our popular E-FIT e-bikes into London’s dynamic and effective network, the bike share system is modernizing and upgrading its service while making active travel more accessible to a wider range of people, including those who might hesitate to use a regular ICONIC bike for a variety of reasons that might include the distance of the trip, physical limitations, or other concerns, as noted by journalist Ben Hubbard in this Zag Daily article).

The world embraces the power of e-bikes

The system’s electrification is in step with significant micromobility trends, such as the glorious e-bike! Indeed, with almost 20,000 of our pedal-assist electric bikes worldwide, PBSC e-bikes are swiftly becoming a global phenomenon that are ideal for those slightly-longer urban jaunts, too. You can find our fun and friendly e-bikes in cosmopolitan cities such as Dubai, Montreal, Sao Paulo, Toronto, Monaco, Barcelona and much more. 

Great for public health (and the planet’s health too), our PBSC e-bikes are a super-efficient mode of active travel. It’s no wonder our e-bikes are putting smiles on the faces of public transit users in more than 20 cities throughout the globe, now including London! (Read more about some of our other electric bike share systems in our blog article.)

We’re proud to be part of the continued growth, modernization, and electrification of Santander Cycles, a unique and established system that remains the largest fleet we’ve ever deployed! You can review and reminisce about the evolution of Santander Cycles in our City Series article.