Lime has called for multiple e-bike operators to be allowed in London boroughs for a "seamless approach to transport", after it was kicked out of Richmond. The changeover of e-bike operators in Richmond from Lime to Forest has now been completed. It means Lime bikes can no longer be parked or hired in the South West London borough, although they can still be ridden through it.
Lime's concerns over exclusive contracts
Alice Pleasant, Lime UK's Senior Public Affairs Manager, said Richmond Council's decision removed choice from residents and risked discouraging people from cycling. She said Lime had over 1.5 million trips in Richmond in 2025, which was a 50 per cent increase on the year before. Ms Pleasant told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) Lime wanted to grow cycling across London by making it as easy as possible to use e-bikes.
She said: "Riders don't know the boundaries between each individual borough... when they pick up a bike in City of London to go to Richmond's green parks or river, they're not thinking about the invisible lines of the borough - so when their councils choose just a single operator and remove that choice, what it means is that residents suffer the most. It creates more friction, it fragments transport and generally it can hurt cycling, and that's something that we're concerned about."
Council's rationale for the switch
The council said its decision was about supporting and growing e-bike use in the borough by securing a service that offered residents better value, greater availability and stronger management. It said the move would bring residents lower prices and better connectivity as Forest already operated in neighbouring boroughs Kingston and Hounslow.
The council's Transport Committee approved plans in March to switch e-bike providers from Lime to Forest, in a major change as Lime had been the borough's sole e-bike operator since 2021. The council invited bids for a new contract to provide e-bikes in Richmond until 2029, which it received from Lime, Forest and Voi. The authority considered having one operator with a fleet cap of 1,500 e-bikes, or two operators with a fleet cap of 750 e-bikes each. A report by council officers said Forest scored highest in both scenarios for pricing plan and overall ranking, although the quality scores for all operators were similar. They ruled Forest as a single operator had the "best overall proposal".
Public backlash and petition
The decision sparked criticism, with a petition urging the council to consider a model accommodating multiple e-bike providers gaining more than 1,930 signatures. The petition, launched by resident Esther Van De Pette, warned withdrawing Lime from the borough would reduce transport options available to residents and visitors by making it more difficult to use e-bikes.
Ms Pleasant said Lime believed having multiple operators would allow a more "seamless approach to transport across London" by making e-bike services as available and easy as possible. She said: "Ultimately what we want is to make it as easy as possible for residents to cycle, and they'll be the ones that suffer the most from these decisions and these exclusive borough-by-borough system approaches." She added: "Transport is about offering this choice. Especially if we have a borough-by-borough system, we need to have multiple operators in boroughs. What we want is an ability to move forward with as much choice, availability and ease as possible."
Council's response
Lib Dem councillor Alexander Ehmann, Chair of Richmond's Transport Committee, said: "Our priority is to make e-bike hire more affordable, reliable and easy to use for Richmond residents. Forest gives us a well-managed service with better value for users, improved compliance and stronger connections with neighbouring boroughs. We want more people to feel confident choosing cycling for everyday journeys, whether they are travelling to work, shops, public transport or local services. This change gives us a strong platform to grow active travel across the borough while keeping the service responsible and easy to access."
