At a glance
• Daily cycling trips in London have risen to 1.5 million—a 12.7% increase—with about 10% made on dockless e-bikes
• End-to-end bike journeys not involving other forms of transport grew to 1.4 million, meaning nearly 5% of all journeys are now by bike
• Dockless operators such as Lime and Forest dominate the e-bike hire market, while Santander Cycles saw fewer casual hires but more member use
The number of cycling trips in London has increased to 1.5m a day – with at least 10 per cent made on dockless e-bikes.
The annual Travel in London report estimates a 12.7 per cent increase in bike journeys, from 1.33m in 2024 to 1.5m in 2025.
This includes bike rides that were made as part of a bigger journey – for example, a short bike ride to a Tube or train station, or to complete a journey after arriving near a destination on public transport.
In terms of “end to end” journeys that were made only by bike, these rose by 12 per cent, from 1.25 million in 2024 to 1.4 million in 2025, according to the Transport for London data.
It means that almost one in 20 of all journeys in London are made by bike – the 4.7 per cent figure for 2024 compares with 3.6 per cent in 2019 and 1.9 per cent in 2000.
However the proportion of London residents who cycled at least once in the previous year decreased slightly from 23 per cent in 2023/24 to 22 per cent in 2024/25.
This is explained by the number of non-residents, such as domestic and foreign tourists, cycling in central London and the number of journeys made by cycle couriers.
About two per cent of bike trips were made on TfL’s Santander-sponsored hire bikes, also known as “Boris bikes”.
It has continued to suffer a decrease in casual hires (down eight per cent from 2023) but has seen a five per cent increase in usage by scheme members, leading to a three per cent overall increase in 2024 – with the trend continuing in 2025.
In contrast, dockless e-bikes operated by firms such as Lime, Forest and Voi dominate the bike hire market, with the ease of hiring a bike proving a bigger draw than the cheaper fares offered by TfL scheme.
There are thought to be at least 50,000 dockless e-bikes available for hire in London, mostly in inner and central London.
The Travel in London report said: “It is estimated that approximately 10 per cent of the total daily cycle journey stages in London could have been made on dockless cycle hire from private operators (which have a much wider coverage, among other perceived competitive advantages).”
Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime, said: “It has been incredible to see London’s cycling transformation over the past few years.
“From sumo wrestlers and England cricketers, to regular commuters, Lime is helping Londoners get to where they need to be, with TfL now reporting more than 10 per cent of cycle journeys now being made on an e-bike.
"Our capital has set a bar for cycling globally, and we’re proud of the role we're playing. Rental e-bikes are helping reduce car trips and congestion and support the mayor’s ambitious active travel goals.”
TfL recently secured a £40m sponsorship deal to keep its Santander bikes on the road until 2032, and hopes to increase the number of e-bikes in its fleet.
London’s resident population in 2025 was estimated at 9.09 million, an increase of one per cent on 2024.
TfL’s target is to have 1.6m journeys a day – including “stages” of a longer journey that involves other forms of transport – made by bike by 2030.
TfL said that cycling in 2025 was more than three times the level of cycling in 2000.
TfL’s network of cycle routes, not all of which are segregated from vehicles, now exceeds 431km (268 miles), and has grown by seven per cent in the 12 months to October 2025. There were 90km of cycle routes in 2016 when Sir Sadiq Khan became mayor.
The growth in cycling was strongest in inner London, with a 14.8 per cent increase between 2024 and 2025 (from 650,000 to 747,000 journey stages).
Central London saw a 12.8 per cent increase (from 187,000 to 211,000) and outer London increased by 9.9 per cent (from 490,000 to 538,000).
However the increase in cycling has been accompanied by an increase in the number of cyclists being killed or seriously injured – up 10 per cent in the most recent period.
Last week a 34-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run collision involving a SUV on Old Kent Road – the seventh known cycling fatality in London in 2025.
Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “As we continue to expand London’s cycle network, the number of daily bike trips is soaring.
“Cycling has increased by 43 per cent since 2019 to 1,500,000 trips every day, with the vast majority of people feeling safe when using our Cycleways. There’s no doubt that London is fast becoming a cycling city.
“Of course, there is more to do. The mayor and I will keep working closely with TfL and the boroughs, investing in more high-quality routes to enable even more people to walk and cycle.”
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and Strategy Officer, said: "Every extra journey by bike or on foot helps reduce congestion, improve air quality and make our streets safer and more welcoming.”
