London e-bike battle heats up as Forest strikes partnership to take on Lime
E-bike operator Forest has struck a deal with the North American micromobility outfit Bird in a bid to wrestle back control of London’s e-bike market from its larger rival Lime.
The deal between the two companies gives users of North America-based Bird access to Forest’s e-bike service in London via the Bird App.
Forest is looking to take market share from its London rival Lime, which is the only other e-bike operator in the capital and now dominates the market. The start-up thinks it can tap the more than four million visitors who visit London from North America and Canada each year.
Bird, once the fastest startup to clinch a ‘unicorn valuation of more than $1bn, announced bankruptcy late last year amid heavy losses.
However, it relaunched in April under a newly organised parent company known as Third Mobility Inc, following a two-third cut to its operating expenses. It said at the time it wished to focus more on its city partnerships.
“By integrating Forest’s e-bike service into the Bird app and evolving into a platform, we’re supporting cleaner, greener cities and offering our global customer base of over 5m active riders a seamless way to explore the best of London,” Michael Washinushi, co-chief of Bird, said in a statement
“We also plan to expand with other trusted providers worldwide in the near future, further enhancing mobility options for our riders, wherever they travel to.”
The deal with Forest signals an increasing consolidation of the global micromobility market, which has faced questions over the viability of its financial model.
In January, Tier and Dott announced a landmark merger deal backed by Abu Dhabi’s state-backed investor Mubadala Capital and the Belgian investment group Sofia, effectively forming the biggest micromobility operator in Europe.
Agustin Guilisasti, chief executive and co-founder of Forest, said: “This collaboration represents a powerful step toward unifying the fragmented micro-mobility market, demonstrating the potential of innovation to drive sustainable change.
“By making it easier for visitors to London to experience the city like locals, we aim to boost the share of daily trips made by bike and magnify the transformative benefits of shared travel for communities and the environment.”