IN BRIEF
London Mayor Sadiq Khan set out on 29 September, according to Cities Today, his plan for a single licensing framework for dockless shared e-bikes, which would replace the rules currently set by each of the city’s 33 boroughs. Transport for London (TfL) would issue licences to operators and set common standards for parking, safety and data sharing. The plan still depends on implementing legislation from the government, which the mayor is urging to act quickly. Lime, Voi and Forest welcome the plan.
“The ‘Wild West’ approach to dockless e-bikes cannot continue.” Sadiq Khan on Tuesday set out his plan to bring order to London’s shared bikes. Today, each of the UK capital’s 33 boroughs applies its own rules. According to Cities Today, the mayor wants to replace them with a single licensing framework covering the whole city.
Shared bikes licensed by TfL
According to Cities Today, the proposed system would hand Transport for London responsibility for licensing shared e-bike operators. TfL would set common standards on parking, fleet management, safety, enforcement and data sharing. The mayor is relying on the English Devolution Act, which came into force in April according to road.cc: according to Cities Today, this law allows the Transport Secretary to give TfL the power to establish a regulatory framework for dockless shared micromobility.
TfL estimates that dockless bikes accounted for more than one in ten cycle journey stages in 2024, according to Cities Today. More than 36,000 micromobility parking spaces have been installed across London, and £1.7 million has been allocated to the boroughs this year to add more, Cities Today reports.
Sadiq Khan presses the government
Implementing legislation and government guidance are still needed before the mayor can exercise these powers, Cities Today notes. “It’s now vital that the Department for Transport moves quickly to bring forward the secondary legislation needed to make these powers a reality. London cannot afford further delays,” Sadiq Khan said, quoted by City AM. In the meantime, TfL will begin preparing the framework with the boroughs, the mayor announced, according to Cities Today.
Lime, Voi and Forest applaud
Operators have been calling for this change. “We support citywide regulation for shared e-bikes, giving riders and boroughs one consistent approach across London instead of a ‘patchwork’ of rules to navigate,” says Stef Lehmann, Regional Head for Government Relations at Lime UK and Ireland, quoted by Cities Today. Christina Moe Gjerde, Voi’s vice president for Northern Europe, said it was “long-past time” London had common rules, according to City AM.
Agustin Guilisasti, founder and chief executive of Forest, believes the framework will bring “greater consistency across boroughs”. Forest claims some borough charges have risen by as much as 15,100% since 2022, City AM reports.
