The other Boris endorses Boris bikes

Barclays may not be entirely happy about the use of the term Boris bikes as shorthand for their London cycle hire scheme but a new celebrity endorsee is not going to do much to change that situation.

With the Barclays Cycle Hire set to go live for casual users on December 3, Boris Becker has shown his support to the scheme and hopes thousands of visitors and tourists to the capital follow his lead.

The sporting legend, who has a strong connection with London since winning the Wimbledon title in 1985 as a teenager, tried out the Barclays Cycle Hire bikes at The O2 arena, whilst taking time out from his ambassador role at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals which is being held there this week.

As of December 3 anyone with a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card will be able to go to their nearest docking station and follow the simple on screen instructions at the terminal to release a bike.

The bikes are available 24 hours a day; seven days a week. Once the user has purchased their access period (for either 24 hours or seven days) the first 30 minutes of any journey will be free of usage charges.

Becker said: “London has many fond memories for me - I still have a home in Wimbledon and enjoy being part of the community. The Mayor’s Barclays Cycle Hire bikes are certainly transforming the city for the better. It’s a great way of getting around and also seeing the sights that are on offer, whilst at the same time it is environmentally friendly and allows people to get active.

“I am sure that many German visitors, and others from across the world, will be using the scheme when it is available to casual users.”

Becoming a Barclays Cycle Hire member still remains the fastest way to access a bike with no queuing at the on street terminals. UK residents can start using the cycle hire scheme as a member for just £4 – the cost of buying the membership key (£3) and their first 24 hour access period (£1).

Currently the scheme has more than 100,000 members who have already made over 1.7 million journeys.

Additional security anti-skimming devices will be fitted to all Barclays Cycle Hire terminals; this additional measure will ensure card readers are not tampered with in any way. The anti-skimming devices use industry leading software, designed to prevent anyone placing a skimming device on a terminal.