Santander Cycles: TfL pledges new app after user issues

BBC News

12 hours ago

Transport for London (TfL) has said it will roll out a "new and improved app" next year for hiring Santander Cycles.This follows complaints from users of the app, including that it logs customers out every time they open it, does not store payment details and routinely crashes.More than half of total hires of the bicycles are done using the app.An IT issue due to a software update earlier this month also led to cyclists being unable to hire the bikes through the app and docking stations - leaving more than 12,000 bikes out of use.
'The scheme is failing'
Stepan, who has used the system for years to commute to work, told BBC London he feels "the scheme is failing" and "the service is worsening".He noted that when the e-bikes are faulty, "the only way to ask for a refund is to call or send an e-mail, which one hardly has time to do while on your way."
Another user, who did not want to be named, agreed, telling BBC London that the app "hasn't worked properly for months" and "fundamentally doesn't work".He mentioned, for example, that neither the app nor the docking stations are compatible with Apple Pay, and that the app logs users out every time they open it, calling the user experience "awful".He said he would have stopped using the scheme if he had not purchased a key fob, rather than use the app, to unlock the bikes.When experiencing issues with faulty bikes, he also said it was "near on impossible" to contact TfL to report them.
In response, TfL said: "[We have] a call centre that operates seven days a week."Customers can also report broken bikes at our docking stations. Each dock has a red 'spanner' button which can be pressed to notify our operational teams that there is a fault with the bike."Once the button is activated the bike is locked in to prevent other users from hiring the bike. Our on-street teams are then sent out to triage the bike."
Santander Cycles user Jacob Roberts, who works as a software developer, recently posted on X what he says is a fix to the app issues.Speaking to BBC London, he praised the bikes as "the best way to get around London" but said "their technology has had some serious issues in the past four months or so" following a software update.He noted that, as well as logging out users every time they open it, the app struggles to auto-fill passwords saved on devices.TfL's head of cycle hire David Eddington has promised that the new app will be "more reliable" and said that they plan to introduce this next year.The current app is rated 1.2 stars out of five on the Google Play Store and 3.7 out five on Apple's App Store, with reviewers and social media users on X and Reddit all experiencing similar issues.
Despite the issues, most Santander Cycles users have continued to use the app.So far in 2025, 58% of total Santander Cycles hires have been via the app, up 6% on the whole of 2023, according to TfL figures. The total number of hires has remained relatively consistent at around 4.4 million between January and June 2025, up from 4.1 million in the same period in 2024.However, this is still down 27% from the record highs of 2022, when over six million hires were recorded between January and June.
TfL has also said it is carrying out a procurement process for the contract to operate Santander Cycles, which is currently held by Serco.Serco have held the contract since the scheme was launched in 2010, and were fined £5m and issued with a "critical improvement plan" in 2011 after administrative errors led to users being overcharged.