Karmactive Staff
Transport for London (TfL) is bringing back its popular TfL Cycle Sundays program, offering unlimited free 60-minute Santander Cycle rides every Sunday in August 2025. For the first time, this year’s program includes e-bikes at no additional cost to registered members.
The initiative aims to encourage Londoners and visitors to explore the city on two wheels, particularly those new to cycling. With over 800 docking stations and 12,000 bikes across the capital, including 2,000 electric cycles, the scheme makes it easy for anyone to enjoy London’s 410km of cycling routes.
Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, emphasized the program’s importance: “TfL Cycle Sundays is back and better than ever, offering Londoners and visitors to our city free bike travel every Sunday throughout August. Cycling can be for everyone and it really is the best way to explore London this summer.”
Getting started is straightforward. Free day passes can be claimed by entering specific promo codes at docking station terminals or through the Santander Cycles app. Each Sunday has its own code: CYCLESUNDAYS03, CYCLESUNDAYS10, CYCLESUNDAYS17, CYCLESUNDAYS24, and CYCLESUNDAYS31. While rides under 60 minutes are free, longer journeys incur charges of £1.65 per additional hour for pedal bikes and £3 per hour for e-bikes.
The e-bike inclusion marks a significant expansion following their growing popularity. Since their introduction, e-bikes have surpassed one million hires and are being used at approximately twice the rate of traditional bikes, according to TfL data.
David Eddington, Head of Cycle Hire at TfL, highlighted the broader benefits: “Cycling is not only brilliant for your physical and mental health but also a great way to explore and see more of London. We want everyone to enjoy the benefits of cycling.”
Similar Posts
TfL has partnered with fitness tracking apps Strava and Komoot to help cyclists find and follow leisure routes. These apps provide real-time maps with directions, route difficulty levels, elevation information, and traffic density. The TfL Go app has also been updated with an improved cycle journey planner that shows what percentage of each route uses Cycleways.
The program offers dozens of beginner-friendly routes developed in collaboration with cycling organizations including British Cycling, Cycle Sisters, JoyRiders, London Cycling Campaign, Sustrans, and Wheels for Wellbeing. Routes span the entire capital, including outer London boroughs, offering options like park rides in Hampstead Heath, accessible cycles through Hyde Park, and loops through Tower Hamlets.
Mariam Draaijer, CEO of JoyRiders Britain CIC, one of the partner organizations, noted: “Cycle Sundays is a brilliant initiative to help Londoners rediscover the joy and freedom of cycling. We’re proud to have contributed to creating routes that are welcoming, scenic and practical.”
The initiative forms part of TfL’s Cycling Action Plan 2, which aims to make cycling more accessible to a diverse range of Londoners. The plan recognizes that people from under-represented groups face different barriers to cycling and outlines measures to address these challenges.This year’s TfL Cycle Sundays coincides with the 15th anniversary of London’s cycle hire scheme, which launched on July 30, 2010, with just 315 docking stations across eight boroughs. Today, the scheme covers 40 square miles of London, reflecting the growing importance of cycling in the capital’s transport strategy, which aims for 80% of journeys to be made on foot, by bike, or on public transport by 2041.
