Barclays Cycle Hire

At the end of July, Londoners were encouraged to get on their bikes with the launch of Transport for London’s new cycle hire scheme, and early reports suggested initial demand outstripped supply. By the middle of August, the bikes had been used for more than 100,000 journeys, with 44,000 members signed up to use the scheme.

The scheme goes under a variety of names, including the alliteratively popular Boris’ Bikes. Such diffuse branding makes tracking difficult, but by searching for a variety of related terms – London AND bikes, for example – it’s possible to get a reasonably comprehensive picture of the social media response.

A sentiment check suggests a mixed response, but drilling down it’s clear that negative reaction was centred on the
teething problems: the bikes shortfall at launch, and the occasional failure of the locq the whole, public response was welcoming.

The Mayor’s office will be pleased to see the project being so closely linked to Boris, despite its being the brainchild of Ken Livingston. Transport for London might not be as happy to be in both Boris’ shadow and that the scheme’s chief sponsor, Barclays.