Bike sharing schemes enable anyone to borrow a bike for a journey in London. There are a number of different bike share schemes that currently operate in the borough.
Dockless cycle hire
Hackney’s dockless cycle hire service with Lime was launched in June 2022.
With dockless cycle hire, you can find, unlock and rent bikes using a smartphone app, there’s no need for a fixed docking station. Download the Lime app from the Apple app store or Google Play.
This allows you to begin and end your journey at accessible cycle hire parking bays across Hackney.
What it costs
Lime charges a fixed rate to unlock an e-bike and then per minute to ride. Average journeys cost between £3.50 and £4.50.
Many residents will be eligible for Lime Access membership which gives a 50% discount on unlimited e-bike rides.
Parking your bike
Hackney has cycle hire bays all over the borough, so it’s easy to find a place to park your bike without blocking pavements or shared public spaces.
To end your trip, you must park your bike in a cycle hire bay and take a photo to confirm.
If you don’t follow the parking guidelines and restrictions you may receive a warning or fine.
Use the map below to find cycle hire bays in Hackney. You can also see these locations on the Lime App.
We’re also working to improve parking by adding 400 cycle hire parking bays by 2026.
If you want to suggest a new location for a cycle hire bay or report an issue about an existing one, email streetscene.enquiries@hackney.gov.uk.
Map of bike sharing schemes in Hackney
Santander cycle hire
Users can pick up and return bikes from a London wide network of parking bays called ‘docking stations’. Santander docking stations in Hackney are generally found around Regent’s Canal, and in and around Victoria Park. You can find more information on the Santander cycles app or on TfL.
Bikes can be hired through a smartphone app and used in a similar fashion to Lime e-bikes.
You can download the Santander Cycles app from the Apple app store or Google Play.
It costs £1.65 (same as a bus fare) for the first 30 minutes of each journey and £1.65 for each additional 30 minutes. E-bikes are £3.30 for the first 30 minutes.
There are monthly and annual memberships available and up to 50% membership discounts where using cycles to get to work; an NHS employee; or a student aged 18 or over.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get a Lime Access 50% discount on all e-bike rides?
Lime Access membership offers a 50% discount on all their e-bike rides. You can qualify for Lime Access if you can show evidence you hold one of the following passes:
Jobcentre Plus Travel Card
Blue Light Card (for emergency service workers)
Student Card (NUS student card or institution specific)
Other free or discounted travel cards for the London, Greater Manchester or Milton Keynes area,
Other eligible key worker IDs and passes (including central and local government jobs and emergency service workers)
To become a Lime Access user, you must first have a Lime account. If you don’t have one, download the Lime App available on IOS and Android and create an account.
Create a Lime Access account on Lime’s website using the same contact details as for your Lime account. It will ask you to upload a document or photo of the pass you hold from the list above. Lime will then enrol you onto the Access programme providing you with 50% off all Lime e-bike.
For more information visit the Lime websitewhere you can download the mobile phone App required to use the scheme.
Are other cycle hire providers allowed to operate in the borough?
The Santander Cycles scheme and Lime E-Bike hire are the only public cycle hire on the streets of the borough.
Which other boroughs does Lime operate in?
Among Hackney’s neighbouring boroughs, Lime also operates in Islington, Camden, Tower Hamlets and the City of London.
Bikes hired in one borough can be ridden across borough boundaries, although the rules around parking bikes do vary between boroughs.
How many cycle hire parking bays are there in Hackney?
As of June 2025 there are a total of 174 cycle hire parking bays in Hackney for Lime e-bikes to park in.
We are currently working to expand the number of these bays, aiming to provide a total of 400 bays by 2026.
What can I do if a bike is not parked in a designated bay and is causing an obstruction?
It is often useful to include a photograph of the offending bike.
In Hackney, all riders should end Lime e-bike journeys in a cycle hire parking bay and all Santander cycle journeys in a docking station.
Cargo Bike Share
Cargo Bike Share is an on-street, on-demand, cargo bike hire service. The bikes are publically available so business, residents, and other members of the public can hire them in order to make deliveries, collect shopping, or conduct other errands.
The scheme is supported by the Mayor of London and is run in collaboration with micro-mobility provider Beryl.
Location of docking stations
There are currently four docking stations in Hackney from which users can hire the Cargo Bike Share cargo bikes. These are:
Fleetwood Street in Stoke Newington
Broadway Market
Calvert Avenue in Shoreditch
Pitfield Street in Shoreditch
How Cargo Bike Share works
Each docking station houses two electrically assisted cargo bikes which are capable of carrying up to 80kg each. It costs £1.50 to unlock a bike and 10p per minute thereafter. Users must return the cargo bike to the same docking station they hired it from. They’re available for immediate hire, or reservations through the Beryl app.
The Cargo Bike Share Toolkit for Professionals is an in depth look at the Zero Emissions Network’s experience of running the U.K.’s first on-street, on-demand, publically accessible public hire service for cargo bikes.
Our Cargo Bike Share Toolkit provides easy to use guidance to help transport professionals develop and deliver their own cargo bike hire schemes.
Request on-street cycle parking
To request new cycle parking locations for bike sharing schemes in the borough, see On-street cycle parking.