Forest swerves TfL’s e-scooter trial
Major bike lenders are snubbing Transport for London’s e-scooter rollout as the capital’s micromobility players question regulations around trials.
TfL opened the bidding for the next phase of its e-scooter experiment last week.
But major electric bike operators may snub the chance to introduce e-scooters into fleets of rental vehicles across the capital, Morning Wire understands.
Forest, which operates thousands of bikes across London, is not expected to compete with Lime and Voi for the contract.
Bolt and Dott, which operate e-scooters in Bristol and Nottingham, are also unlikely, for now, to take part in TfL’s trial, which is scheduled to end in May 2028 having begun five years ago.
The procurement notice dangles a total estimated turnover of £34.5m for two operators, but industry leaders fear e-scooters are not commercially viable.
Low usage and tight regulation around e-scooter speeds and licences have put leading businesses off taking part in the third phase of the trial.
The data from the first two phases of the trial paints an underwhelming picture of growth when compared to e-bikes.
Its phase one numbers, collected from 2021 to 2023, recorded 3.3 million total trips while the second phase saw trip numbers climb to just 3.9 million by 2025.
While an e-bike lender typically sees an average of three trips made per bike each day, e-scooters are languishing at just 0.3 rides – a tenfold difference.
E-scooter trials ‘hold back investment’
This swerve is forming what looks like a two-man tussle between the incumbent industry heavyweights, Lime and Voi.
Lime remains bullish, viewing e-scooters as a small extra running cost alongside its dominant bike fleet.
Voi, the capital’s more affordable option, with 1.2 million trips under its belt, has also confirmed plans to bid, dubbing the vehicles as a “go-to option” for sustainable travel.
Dott and Bolt remain more cautious, with the former indicating it is “unlikely” to apply, citing weak demand and heavy red tape.
Shared e-scooters remain limited to a 12.5mph cap and require a drivers’ licence while private and unregulated scooters continue to illegally flood London’s streets.
“The constant risk of the trials coming to an end with no legislation holds back investment and confidence in the UK,” James Bolton from Voi has previously said.
There is also a growing sense that the precious bay space currently reserved for this e-scooter scheme, would be better utilised for bikes, which Lime suggested are currently seeing 30,000 ‘missed trips’ every day in London, due to a lack of parking.
Industry officials are waiting for the procession of the Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill through parliament, which would move e-scooters from trial status to a permanent system, before making a final business call.