Lime bike use soaring in London with 12 million rides since 2019
Lime has seen soaring demand for its e-bikes in London with over 12m rides since 2019 and an average monthly increase of 10 per cent, it has been revealed.
Londoners have travelled nearly 30m kilometres using Lime’s e-bikes since 2019, according to a new report from the transport consultancy Steer, commissioned by the e-bike and scooter giant.
E-scooter and bike startups such as Tier, Lime and Dott have been jostling for dominance in an increasingly competitive market, with London becoming a key battleground in recent years.
To handle soaring demand, Lime has today called for a £20m funding injection from Transport for London (TfL), local authorities and operators in order to build a network of 10,000 designated parking hubs for the vehicles.
The report – which is the most detailed review of the operator’s service in the capital to date – also raises concerns over current regulation, calling for a London-wide regulatory framework.
Currently, e-bike operators like Lime and newer entrant HumanForest, seek agreements over how they can operate on a borough-by-borough basis.
Lime, who currently hold contracts with 10 boroughs, argue this creates confusion for operators and users and acts as a barrier to further growth, with different rules for anything from parking zones to the fees charged by each council.
A new scheme would see one centrally regulated, London-wide system, with a single set of rules for riding and parking and a set area in which the bikes are able to operate.
Wayne Ting, Lime’s global CEO, said that “record demand for shared e-bikes in London requires a new regulatory approach.”
“We also see a need to add designated e-bike parking locations across London to keep up with demand. This will have the dual benefit of improving parking behaviour, while continuing to extend the benefits e-bikes provide.”
Matthew Clark, associate director at Steer said: “Since their introduction in London in 2019, shared e-bikes have provided the opportunity for millions of people to try the benefits of an e-bike for the first time.”
“This report quantifies these benefits for the first time and highlights five key recommendations for the industry, TfL and London Councils to further embed the service, increase cycling trips and ensure that the benefits of shared e-bikes are maximised for both riders and non-riders.”
It comes amid wider concerns in the UK sector that delays in passing legislation to handle the roll-out of e-bikes and scooters could see investment from operators move elsewhere.
TfL and London Councils were contacted for comment.