The Mayor of London, Transport for London and Santander today announced a seven-year partnership to develop and expand the London Cycle Hire scheme.
The announcement follows the Budget and Performance Committee’s report ‘The Viability of Sponsored Transport Schemes’[1] which looks at the performance of the Mayor’s current sponsored transport schemes – the cycle hire scheme and the Thames cable car.
Commenting on the announcement, John Biggs AM, Chair of the Budget and Performance Committee, said:
“This is a very welcome announcement, and I’m sure that the red cycle hire bikes will become as iconic as London’s red buses and postboxes.
We all want to see this deal succeed, but for this to happen we have to learn the lessons from the previous scheme.
A recent Budget and Performance Committee report highlighted where improvements needed to be made.
The scheme needs a committed sponsor that really wants to help TfL to grow the scheme and get more people on their bikes – but the devil is in the detail. We’ll now look closely at the contract to ensure this deal is in the best interests of taxpayers.
The bikes may be red but the detail mustn’t be taken as read – this is the biggest public sector sponsorship scheme in the world and Londoners deserve transparency.”
Notes for Editors:
The Viability of Sponsored Transport Schemes report is available to read here.
Chair of the Budget and Performance Committee, John Biggs AM, is available for interview.
As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
Image credit: Getty Images for Santander.
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