Lime funds 586 new e-bike parking bays across nine London boroughs

Mixed · 2Lime has awarded £886,857 to nine London boroughs, including Greenwich, Lambeth and Hackney, to create or expand 586 e-bike parking bays this year. 1 2 Mixed · 2The money comes from Lime's £5m London Parking Fund, and Lime is offering a further £1m to councils; boroughs have until 22 October to apply. 1 2 Mixed · 2The aim is to ease overcrowding at existing bays and tackle one of the biggest complaints about rental bikes, which are often left across pavements. 1 2

Right · 1City A.M. reports that Lime has now helped fund more than 3,400 bays across London and expects its 2026 parking investment to reach about £1.5m once the first round of projects is complete. 1 Right · 1City A.M. also reports that bays paid for by the fund are open to all rental operators, including rivals Forest and Voi, and that the fund is independently administered by Steer. 1 Mixed · 2Alice Pleasant, Lime's deputy regional head of government relations, said more people than ever are choosing shared e-bikes, which brings clear benefits but means working with boroughs to meet higher parking demand. 1 2

Mixed · 2Citing Transport for London data, both outlets say one in ten cycling journeys in the capital is on a shared e-bike, but they give different daily totals: City A.M. says over one million journeys a day, the Evening Standard about 1.5 million. 1 2 Mixed · 2An Opinium survey of 1,000 Londoners commissioned by Lime found 21% would be more likely to use a shared e-bike if safer parking were available at their destination; the Evening Standard adds that 65% support or are open to more bays locally, rising to 85% among 18 to 34 year olds. 2 1 Centre · 1The Evening Standard says the Mayor of London has announced plans for a London-wide crackdown on the "Wild West approach" to e-bikes, and that Lime withdrew bikes from one borough after a blind man was forced into a busy road by poorly parked bikes. 2

Right · 1City A.M. adds context on the patchwork of borough-level agreements: Richmond gave Forest an exclusive three-year contract after it outbid Lime, and bikes were abandoned around Chiswick Bridge and Shepherd’s Bush when Lime was initially excluded from Hounslow. It says the government is preparing a London-wide licensing system giving TfL more control over operators. 1 Right · 1City A.M. also notes Lime's commercial incentive: it is trying to win more regular riders, recently offered its annual subscription through the Cycle to Work scheme, and saw UK revenue rise 75% to £111.3m in 2024. 1