Latest news with #bikehire
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On your bike! Lime booted out of west London borough after pavement parking complaints
Lime has lost the right to operate in a west London borough after residents complained about its e-bikes blocking pavements and the cost of hiring a bike. Hounslow council has ended its two-year association with the firm, which dominates the capital's bike hire market, and appointed two rivals in its place. The move is thought to be the toughest response yet from a London borough to concerns about 'anti-social' parking - though there are also suggestions that the council simply opted for the most lucrative bid. But the move also appears to highlight how councils are increasingly requiring dockless bike hire firms to meet tough standards, while seizing the opportunity to generate income - ahead of a long awaited city-wide regulatory scheme mentioned in the Government's devolution white paper. Hounslow's decision, following a retendering process, is expected to mean that Lime will have to 'geo-fence' its bikes to prevent them being hired or parked in the borough, which includes Chiswick and Brentford. A Lime spokesperson said: "We're disappointed by Hounslow council's decision. We're proud of our bid, which we believe offered the best overall value for Hounslow residents by focusing on quality of service, safety, and community benefit above all. "We're also disappointed for the thousands of Hounslow residents that rely on our bikes daily to connect to other areas of London. 'Built over seven years operating in the capital, Lime's service has allowed people living in Hounslow to access all parts of the city, and cycle as far as Hackney and Lewisham in one easy journey. 'It's important for councils to prioritise seamless mobility across London for their residents when selecting operators as otherwise we risk creating a patchwork system that undermines this. "Our data proves this. Since we launched in Hounslow in 2023, the number of Lime rides has more than doubled year-on-year, and we've seen a massive 95 per cent increase in people using our bikes to commute. 'It's clear that Hounslow residents have embraced cycling, and we're glad to have supported the council's wider cycling goals. 'We remain dedicated to working with TfL and local councils across the capital to ensure all Londoners have access to sustainable modes of transport and to build a more accessible, inclusive and greener city for everyone.' Last November, neighbouring Brent council had threatened to evict Lime after similar complaints from residents about abandoned bikes, but struck a lucrative deal to fund the provision of 200 on-street bike parking bays. Hounslow has appointed Forest and Voi in place of Lime, under a new contract that will begin on August 11. The council held a competitive procurement process, 'shaped by widespread community feedback' that requested 'stronger parking compliance, faster response times to resident concerns and more tailored and affordable pricing'. There are currently more than 250 designated e-bike parking bays across the borough and the council pledged to review its enforcement procedures 'to maintain clear pavements and discourage poor parking behaviour'. Lime bikes have been used for more than 1.7m trips since a trial was launched by the council in 2023, with it being extended to Isleworth and Osterley due to its popularity. The new scheme will have lower prices, including discounts for residents, low-income users and local businesses, and will use advanced technology and stricter enforcement to ensure the Forest and Voi bikes are parked in designated bays. There will also be lighter e-bikes, including the trial of e-bikes with cargo baskets or child seats. According to the website, Lime's trial 'drew criticism for widespread antisocial parking, hacking incidents, and inadequate customer support'. It added: 'Bikes were often left blocking pavements, driveways, and even junctions, prompting safety concerns from residents and councillors alike.' Forest already operates in Brent and Hammersmith and Fulham and plans to have 1,087 of its green e-bikes in Hounslow. Voi recently launched in Ealing and has earmarked other west London boroughs. Forest said it had secured first place in the council's tendering competition. Its arrival in Hounslow will mean its bikes are available in 18 London boroughs. However, there have been reports that the council awarded the contract to the firms that offered to pay most for the right to operate within the borough. Last month Forest bikes were used for 1.5m journeys in London – 60 per cent up on July 2024. Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, said: 'We are excited to be expanding into Hounslow and bringing affordable e-bikes to even more Londoners. 'We know that the demand for sustainable ways of travel is only growing, and as the winning operator in Hounslow, we are proud to offer Forest bikes to local residents who are seeking more convenient and greener modes of transport. 'As a company founded in London for Londoners - our continued expansion reflects our commitment to delivering for the capital, and we look forward to a collaborative and successful partnership in Hounslow.' Transport for London has announced free 60-minute rides on its Santander-sponsored 'Boris bikes' each Sunday in August. Riders should download a free code via the TfL website.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Catalyst for change or community menace? What's next for Australia's e-bike revolution
It all started with 100 blue bicycles. Fifteen years ago, Australia's first public bike hire scheme launched in Melbourne to considerable fanfare. Four months later, Brisbane followed suit, partnering with multinational advertising company JCDecaux and a fleet of 2000 yellow bikes emblazoned with Lipton Ice Tea logos. Since then, various iterations of bike shares have come and gone across the country. They've been electrified, Uber-fied, vandalised, beloved and reviled. They've been flung into gutters, thrown into waterways, taken people to work, and carried others home. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Now Lime, the world's biggest shared-electric-vehicle company and Australia's largest micromobility provider, is preparing to go public. Eight years after it launched in Australia with a trial of e-bikes in a handful of inner-city suburbs, the San Francisco-based startup , which receives funding from Uber and Google, is planning to list on the New York Stock Exchange next year. At the same time, it is plotting an expansion of its Australian empire, with bikes in western Sydney and the potential for more bikes in inner Melbourne. The company also operates in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, and says it wants to expand to every capital city. As of last week, there were 3,140 shared e-bikes in use across Australia, according to the micromobility tracker Ride Report. Industry sources estimate Lime owns and operates half of those, although the company won't confirm this. Shared e-bikes had been used for more than 8.9m trips as of last week, covering more than 17.6m kilometres in total. Where are they going? And how did we get here? Dr Elliot Fishman is pretty sure he is the first person ever to complete a PhD in shared bike schemes. In 2011, the healthcare professional-turned-transport consultant began comparing the Australian schemes in Brisbane and Melbourne with eight others around the world. At the time, just 20% of trips on shared bikes in Australia were replacing car travel, Fishman found. Most of the time, people used them only where they would have otherwise walked, or possibly caught public transport. 'Even so, Australia, the 20% of trips replacing car trips is actually reasonably high compared to other cities,' he says. However, Fishman, the director of the Institute for Sensible Transport, attributes this to Australian CBDs having more cars driving through them compared to a city like London. Without protected bike lanes and 30km speed limits on residential streets, Fishman says, many people weren't confident enough using the bikes. Some people loved them, but they only suited those who were going somewhere near one of the docking stations. Today, these bikes are 'dockless'. But they can still only take you so far. Shared bikes can't be ridden outside their designated zones, petering out once you reach an invisible line. 'The larger the catchment is, the greater the chances of the [bike] trip replacing a car trip,' Fishman says. Today, there are public bike share schemes in the city centres of nearly every Australian capital, except Perth. Hobart began trialling purple 'micro' e-bikes this month, provided by operator Beam. Fishman believes every city in Australia should have a scheme: 'You can actually use the bike share program as … the catalyst for the city to then install bike infrastructure.' Shared e-bikes are a unique form of public transport in that they are regulated almost entirely at the local government level. 'There does need to be some level of state support for it, usually, because, for example, e-scooters is an example of where the legislative environment can prohibit the use of certain devices on public roads,' Fishman says, pointing to e-bikes' more controversial cousin, which have gained notoriety after a string of serious collisions. For example, in New South Wales, the state government plans to legalise the use of e-scooters on shared paths and bike lanes. This paves the way for e-scooter hire companies – which often also operate shared e-bikes – to establish themselves. However, it will still be up to councils to decide whether or not they are allowed into their areas. The tendering process, contracts and rules around parking are entirely up to local councils. Fishman won't name names, but he says in Sydney and Melbourne, there 'has been a lot of friction' over the bikes between certain councils and the state government. Fishman says the technology has changed, so now the bikes are 'smart' rather than the docking stations, which have been removed in a physical sense. That means they can be parked almost anywhere – which is a double-edged sword. Complaints of e-bikes being left on suburban streets are common across the country. In February, Mosman Collective, a local digital newspaper servicing Sydney's lower north shore, reported criticism from residents about the introduction of Lime bikes to the North Sydney council area, one of whom said the streets had become 'garbage tips'. In May, Waverley council in Sydney's east announced it had 'achieved a milestone win for the community' when Lime agreed to contribute to the provision of parking infrastructure and 'better manage and regulate their share bikes', including moving any bikes left in the wrong spot. 'We have taken urgent action because our community has had a gutful of e-bikes being carelessly dumped all over the place,' the mayor, Will Namesh, said in a statement. Yarra council, in inner Melbourne, has been introducing parking bays, says councillor Sophie Wade. 'But, I think, long term, what councils everywhere are going to need to start doing more of is what we see overseas, which is putting those parking bays on street,' Wade says, 'so that bikes can be parked, firstly, in a smooth spot where you come straight off the road and not jumped up on to the kerb. And then also they're getting less in pedestrians' way, and there's space for more of them.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion As part of its shared scheme trial next year, Merri-bek council, also in inner Melbourne, is testing designated parking bays for e-bikes to ensure they don't obstruct footpaths. Safety has also been an issue with e-bikes, and councils are understandably keen to allay community concerns. In February 2024, a research project led by St Vincent's emergency clinicians found that more than 500 e-bike riders in the past two years had required critical care as a result of a road collision. Separate research published earlier this year by Monash University's Accident Research Centre found that in the five years from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020, there were '14 deaths reported to an Australian state or territory coroner where an electric e-micromobility device … contributed to the death', and that half of those were related to e-bikes. Merri-bek council has pointed to safety technology tested during shared e-bike trials elsewhere in Melbourne, including cognitive tests designed to prevent drink-riding at night, sensors to detect and prevent 'dinking' (double-riding), and camera sensors to detect footpath riding. Dr Tim Read, the Victorian MP for Brunswick and a keen cyclist, says it's tempting to 'overhype the role of technology here'. 'However, if something even prevents even, say, 50% of drunk riding … it's still likely to be an improvement, right? And a hell of a lot better than what applies for most cars. Krystyna Weston, who runs the micromobility consultancy Zipidi with her husband, Stephen Coulter, believes cognitive impairment testing is 'very, very problematic'. 'If somebody wants to get around it, they will,' Weston says. She says an intoxicated person could get somebody who's sober standing right next to them to do the test, and it would still start the ride. It is also problematic for councils to require operators to provide tests that they are held legally responsible for, Weston says. Coulter says councils believe this type of cognitive testing is more reliable than it is because they are looking for ways to mitigate risk and allay community concerns. Weston says the cost of public liability insurance in Australia makes it 'exceptionally expensive' to do business here. Shared micromobility operators need to be covered for up to $20m in damages, she says, which is one of the highest requirements anywhere in the world. Why has Lime prevailed? The low take-up of the original Melbourne Bike Share bikes was initially attributed to mandatory helmet laws. The bikes didn't come with helmets, so people had to come prepared. Today's bike share schemes try to circumnavigate the problem by supplying helmets themselves. But Lime riders have also encountered helmet issues – either there isn't one attached or the unlocking mechanism is faulty. The company says all its bikes 'leave the warehouse with a helmet attached' and helmets are replaced 'during in-field battery swaps and vehicle inspections'. After the Melbourne Bike Share scheme was canned in 2017, two other schemes came and went in the Victorian city. First were the oBikes, which were 'dockless' and could be parked anywhere, leading to them being dumped and abandoned, hung from trees and hurled down creek embankments. 'They kind of appeared out of nowhere, and people weren't ready for them,' says Alison McCormack, the chief executive officer of the Bicycle Network. The bright red Jump bikes followed. Run by Uber, they reportedly only lasted a few weeks. They were bought by Lime, which appears on track to outdo its predecessors in longevity and scale. Across Australia, Lime's main competitors have been Beam and Neuron, although the companies have just announced plans to merge. Newcomer Ario, which launched in three inner-Sydney council areas last year, has thrown its hat into the ring for the Merri-bek trial, with its spokesperson, Mitch Price, saying Melbourne, dominated by Lime, 'needs a shake-up'. Price says Ario wants to have bikes in as many Australian cities as possible. He says he's confident it can rival Lime and succeed. McCormack acknowledges the bikes 'can be quite expensive' and recommends riders buy passes rather than pay by the minute. She says it 'would be lovely' if shared e-bikes were a free service provided by the government or councils, but private operators are probably better placed to afford the maintenance required. 'It's a big commitment, and it's a big undertaking, and I think it's a fantastic transport option,' she says. 'As long as there's not a monopoly and there's only one company who gets to set the pricing and do everything.'
