Plans to increase the number of cycles available in London as part of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, better known as ‘Boris Bikes’ after London Mayor Boris Johnson, will provide new jobs and apprenticeships, a spokesperson for the scheme’s operator, international service company Serco tells Recruiter.

New jobs will be created in bike redistribution, customer services, bike maintainence and repair and fleet management, as 2,300 new bikes are added to the current fleet of 6,000.

This will include 200 new docking stations, the expansion of current stations in central London and expansion into the borough of Tower Hamlets.

Currently 270 people are employed by Serco for the scheme, and 27 apprenticeships in mechanical and engineering areas of the business are in place, with both numbers set to expand, Recruiter learns.

Serco has so far sourced around 70% of staff for the cycle hire workforce through Jobcentre Plus and other local organisations, with a spokesperson saying: “We’ve got a huge commitment on this contract to create sustainable jobs for local people.”