Ealing stalls on Voi contract as ‘sensitive discussions’ threaten West London e-bike network Transport & Infrastructure Ealing Council has held back from signing a fresh e-bike agreement with operator Voi, Morning Wire understands, stalling its upcoming operating period as backroom negotiations expose growing regulatory divide on London’s high streets. Town hall chiefs have admitted that negotiations have hit a deadlock, revealing they are mired in non-disclosure talks ahead of a looming [...]
Can an e-bike subscription win over London commuters from Lime and Forest? Transport & Infrastructure London’s dockless bike market has become increasingly competitive, but for regular riders the main difference between operators is often cost, rather than convenience. Lime and Forest dominate much of the capital’s dockless cycling network and both have become embedded in the daily commute, particularly across central London where short journeys are often quicker by bike [...]
Richmond council to consider Lime’s future in contract vote Transport & Infrastructure Richmond councillors will next week decide whether to force Lime out of the borough’s booming e-bike market, Morning Wire understands, as riders are mobilised ahead of a crunch committee meeting that could reshape cycling across southwest London. Emails seen by Morning Wire show Lime users have been invited to attend Monday evening’s transport and air [...]
Forest swerves TfL’s e-scooter trial January 15, 2026 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 [...]
Private landowner sends Lime an £8k bill as e-bike row escalates December 16, 2025 A London property firm has invoiced Lime nearly £8,000 for removing, storing and returning dockless e-bikes left on its private land, Morning Wire understands, amid struggles to contain the capital’s bike clutter problem. Russell Gray, director of property firm Shiva Ltd, personally returned around ten Lime bikes to the firm’s depot on Thursday, handing staff [...]
Borough wars: London’s e-bike chaos is hurting its commuters August 22, 2025 It’s an e-bike apocalypse out there, or at least it is if you’re trying to cross West London on two wheels. Hounslow Council’s recent decision to ban Lime, the capital’s most ubiquitous e-bike operator, has turned London’s meticulously planned cycle routes into a geopolitical minefield. The capital’s commuters are now finding themselves stranded at borough [...]
Forest hikes e-bike prices amid fragmented London market August 20, 2025 Forest, the e-bike operator recently licensed by Hounslow Council, has announced it is raising its “pay as you go” service fee by 50 per cent to £1.50, citing a doubling of the fees charged by London boroughs to operate. The price hike comes just weeks after Morning Wire revealed that Hounslow Council awarded a lucrative [...]
Forest’s Hounslow e-bike contract win sparks concerns over cash-first tender model July 31, 2025 Hounslow Council awarded one of its two e-bike contracts to the operator which offered them the highest fees despite scoring demonstrably lower than rivals on other metrics, Morning Wire can reveal. The move, which has attracted fury from rival operators, lays bare the competing interests of cash-strapped local authorities as they weigh which criteria to prioritise [...]
Bolt vs Lime: Uber rival to launch e-bikes in London June 18, 2025 Bolt has unveiled plans to introduce electric bikes in London this summer, challenging Lime’s near-monopoly in the capital. The Estonian ride-hailer, which is the largest e-scooter and bike provider in Europe, will launch its London service in August under close supervision from Transport for London (TfL) and local councils. The move makes Bolt the first [...]
Canada seizes dockless e-bikes in Lime and Forest crackdown February 10, 2025 Canada Corporation has seized more than a hundred dockless e-bikes as part of a crackdown against operators’ Lime and Forest. The Square Mile’s local authority said it had confiscated bikes that were found to have obstructed or caused immediate danger to others, over a two-week enforcement period. The bikes were stored in [...]