Rental electric bicycles have become a common sight across London’s streets, yet city transport authorities lack comprehensive data on their usage and numbers, hindering efforts to manage the service effectively. Despite nearly a decade of dockless e-bike operations, Transport for London (TfL) has yet to establish formal data-sharing agreements with major operators including Lime, Forest, and Voi.
Helen Sharp of TfL acknowledged the gap in information, stating that the agency does not currently know how many trips are made on dockless bikes or the total number of bikes present across the capital. TfL is actively seeking agreements with all four licensed dockless bike operators. Sharp emphasized the importance of cooperation ahead of new regulatory powers that will allow TfL to oversee e-bike operations citywide, saying operators will want to engage in shaping future licensing frameworks.
Under current arrangements, control over e-bike regulations and parking enforcement rests with individual London boroughs, resulting in a patchwork of differing rules and confidential data-sharing agreements. While operators provide borough-level figures on fleet sizes and trip counts, this data is not standardized or publicly accessible, preventing TfL from forming a comprehensive view of usage citywide.
Lime, London's largest e-bike provider, declined to disclose the number of bikes in London, describing the data as commercially sensitive, though it reported having approximately 38,000 bikes nationwide. Forest said it operates at least 22,000 bikes in London, and Voi said it has about 14,000 bikes in the city. To put these figures in context, London operates nearly 15,000 licensed black cabs.
Some boroughs involved in e-scooter trials receive live data feeds that enable them to monitor vehicle locations, trip histories, and maintenance statuses, which have improved management of these schemes. Sharp suggested a similar approach for dockless e-bikes once TfL assumes citywide regulatory control under new government legislation, pending receipt of guidance on minimum operational standards.
The rapid expansion of rental e-bikes has drawn criticism from pedestrians and some public figures over rider behavior, parking issues, and safety concerns. London Mayor Lord Khan described the current situation as a “Wild West” scenario unsustainable for the city’s transport network. Actress and author Dame Joan Collins criticized the influx of bikes as an “invasion.”
In response to parking complaints, Lime has reportedly helped fund more than 3,000 dedicated parking bays and committed £5 million to further expand these provisions in partnership with boroughs. Lime's deputy regional head of government relations, Alice Pleasant, emphasized ongoing collaboration with TfL, noting the challenges of navigating commercially sensitive data during discussions about creating a unified, citywide system that would replace the current fragmented approach.
Voi’s senior public policy manager, Harry Foskin, stated that the company provides data to each borough through an independent third-party platform, advocating for TfL to require independently verified data as a condition for participation in future schemes. Forest declined to comment on its data-sharing practices.
As London prepares for more centralized oversight of dockless e-bike services, the resolution of data transparency and operational standards remains key to balancing the benefits of sustainable transport with public safety and urban management needs.