Santander Cycles: TfL to introduce 500 e-bikes for hire

Transport for London (TfL) has announced plans to introduce 500 electric bikes for hire across the capital next summer.

It comes as TfL reached a deal with Santander to extend its sponsorship of the popular cycle hire scheme until 2025.

In the last year, TfL said the scheme has seen a record number of hires.

Since its launch in 2010, the bikes have been hired more than 101m times, according to TfL figures.

The bank took over sponsorship of the cycle hires from its rival Barclays in 2015.

It signed an initial seven-year deal and has agreed with TfL to extend it by three more years.

TfL introduced cycle hire to Londoners in July 2010 with 350 docking stations across eight London boroughs.

There are now more than 750 docking stations.

Sadiq Khan welcomed TfL's plans to develop a permanent discount for NHS workers "as a token of appreciation".

"Cycling has been a lifeline for many Londoners over the past year and I'm determined to make it even more accessible to help us rebuild as a cleaner and greener city," he said.

"I'm so pleased that our city's heroic key workers have accessed more than 100,000 free hires since we introduced the offer in March last year."

BBC London's transport correspondent Tom Edwards:

Riding an electric bike up a hill makes you feel amazing and almost superhuman as you leave other cyclists and vehicles in your wake.

They give you a little boost up to about 16 miles per hour and are seen as a gateway to get the reluctant and unconvinced onto two wheels.

Active travel is continuing to push up the political agenda in cities as mayors and authorities across the world try and get people to cycle and walk more.

They say it helps reduce pollution, but also ultimately reduces obesity and eventually health costs to society.

Electric bikes are part of that.