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TfL admits Boris bike overchargingBarclays Cycle Hire Scheme bikes on hire station © Simon MacMichael.jpg

TfL admits Boris bike overcharging

Refunds to be made to "couple of thousand" users of Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme affected...
by Simon_MacMichael
Thu, Aug 12, 2010 09:53
6

Despite the credit crunch, London remains one of the financial capitals of the world, but some people who have signed up to the city’s Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, launched last month, may be forgiven for opening their statements from Transport for London (TfL) with the same trepidation they reserve for their bank statements with the news that many have been overcharged for their use of the capital’s new Boris Bikes.

According to BBC News, TfL has admitted that a "couple of thousand" of the 40,000 cyclists who have so far signed up for the scheme have been incorrectly billed amounts ranging from £1 to £10.

A spokeswoman for TfL said that people who had been overcharged had been contacted and that any money they had overpaid would be refunded.

"Steps have been taken to ensure this error does not happen again and we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused," she added.

Cyclist pay a fee starting at £1 a day to access the scheme, with the first half hour of using a bike free of charge, the cost thereafter varying depending on the length of time the bike has been used.

 

transport for london
TFL
London cycle hire scheme
Boris Bike
Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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Jonty79 | 14 years ago
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On radio 4 news comedy programme "The Now Show" last week someone made the following joke:

Q. In this credit crunch climate how do you get car drivers to hate cyclists even more than they already do?.......A. Get them advertising Banks!!

Great scheme - walked passed a few docking stations this week all empty so guess its proving popular. Would be good to see in other cities soon.

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Denzil Dexter | 14 years ago
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Yes, I should chose my words with more care 1

What I meant to say was somebody will get a bonus for this

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Denzil Dexter | 14 years ago
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Anybody know if TfL banks with Barclays?

if so that sponsorship is paying for itself already… somebody deserves a bonus for that

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Denzil Dexter | 14 years ago
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Denzil Dexter wrote:

Anybody know if TfL banks with Barclays?

if so that sponsorship is paying for itself already… somebody deserves a bonus for that

Hang on.. it's almost as though you're suggesting that bankers actually do something to justify those bonuses?! 7

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Kevin Steinhardt | 14 years ago
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I'm one of those affected. Rung the Barcobike helpline this morning and they said they'd ring me back; hasn't happened, you'll be shocked to know. Worse thing is is I haven't been to London since before the scheme started; haven't even activated my key yet. I've got charged for… well: doing nothing.

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timlennon | 14 years ago
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I saw someone on one of these last night. Whatever I think about Boris (and isn't this Ken's scheme anyway?), I really want bike hire to succeed in London, because it's more people cycling, which is good for me, good for them, and good for our city.

(Polishes rosy specs.)

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