Now you can hop on an electric Boris bike

ELECTRIC-powered hire bikes were today added to London’s fleet of “Boris bikes” to encourage more people to cycle.

The launch of the e-bikes, which will be available across central London, was due last month but was delayed by the Queen’s death.

They will cost £3.30 per 30-minute ride and will initially only be available to cyclists who have paid £3 to register with the Santander-sponsored scheme.

But cyclists holding a £20 monthly or £120 annual membership will only have to pay a £1 “surcharge” to use the e-bikes per 60-minute trip, though trips lasting longer than an hour will cost a further £3.30.

Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was due to ride an e-bike this morning, called their launch “another momentous moment for cycling in London”.

The “power assist” motors will cut out at 15.5mph but higher speeds will be possible riding downhill. They will be serviced on-street, including battery replacement.

Conventional bikes will still make up the majority of the 14,000-bike scheme, for the new rate of £1.65 per 30 minutes.