London Cycling Campaign have paired up with the dockless bike hire company Ofo to get more Londoners on bikes - with benefits for members.
LCC will be helping advise the firm on how to reach its ambition of boosting the number of journeys made in London from current levels of 2% to more than 30%.
The LCC Cycling Projects team will work strategically with Ofo to help plan at a local level as to where and how cyclists want to access a bike sharing scheme.
LCC will engage with its members and supporters at a local level to help build a successful bike share model.
Over coming months LCC’s Cycling Projects team will also work with Ofo to organise a number of events to target new and returning cyclists.
One of the planned pieces of work will be exploring the opportunity to place 200 bikes in West London Colleges as part of the charity’s Student Champion project.
LCC membership will also be offered to Ofo’s registered users, including benefits such as liability insurance. A number of other tailored offerings will be made available over coming months.
Ashok Sinha, Chief Executive of LCC, said: “It’s hugely exciting for the London Cycling Campaign to be partnering with an innovative and responsible company like Ofo.
“The potential market for cycle hire in London is huge, and we look forward to working with Ofo to enable many more Londoners to enjoy the convenience and enjoyment of getting around by bike.”
Joseph Seal-Driver, Operations Director for Ofo UK, said: “This partnership will provide Ofo with valuable expertise, while benefiting London and LCC by bringing a valuable and much needed service to the city.
“Together we will be able to transform the way that Londoners travel, getting more people cycling to slash pollution, ease congestion and boost health.
“We’re determined to be a responsible, ethical and sustainable operator. We employ staff directly and pay them the London Living Wage, hire local bike shops to maintain our fleet and only enter boroughs once we have permission from the local authority.”
After an unpromising start, having to be bribed by her parents to learn to ride without stabilisers, Sarah became rather keener on cycling in her university years, and was eventually persuaded to upgrade to proper road cycling by the prospect of a shiny red Italian bike, which she promptly destroyed by trapping a pair of knickers in the rear derailleur. Sarah writes about about cycling every weekend on road.cc.