How the scheme works
Getting started
The E-Bike Scheme will work the same way as before, only with different opertators and pricing. To get started, download the Forest and Voi apps to your smartphone. Users must be 18 years and over.
Users can locate and hire an e-bike using the operator apps. You can reserve a bike for free or simply walk up to an available e-bike and scan the QR code using the app to begin your rental.
Payment options
Users can pay-as-you-go (by the minute) or get large discounts by purchasing a minute bundle or subscription in advance. Both Forest and Voi offer several bundle/subscription options, depending on how often and how long you’re riding for, with pricing starting from as little as 6-7p per minute. Please visit the operators’ apps for more information on pricing.
Discounts for eligible residents include the following:
Forest:
- Forest is currently offering bespoke promotional rates in Hounslow. All Forest rides starting in Hounslow are currently just £1 for 30 minutes, with no unlock fee and no daily service fee. There is no limit to how many rides can be taken on this promotion.
- Friends of the Forest programme offers 20% rides for NHS workers, emergency service heroes, students, and anyone over 60. This discount applies to pay-as-you-go pricing and doesn’t apply to bundles or subscriptions. Contact Forest to apply and prove eligibility.
Voi:
- Voi’s Equitable Access Programmes offer several bespoke discounts. Click on the United Kingdom section of the website to see offers available in Hounslow. Next, click Apply to prove eligibility. Offers include the following:
- Voi4Hounslow: Residents of Hounslow will be eligible for a 50% discount on 30-minute daily passes (meaning it will only cost £1.75 for 30 minutes). Proof of residency required.
- Voi4All: Disadvantaged users, including low-income individuals, refugees, asylum seekers, people with disabilities, and those aged 65 and over, are eligible for up to 75% discount on passes and subscriptions.
- Voi4Heroes: NHS workers, emergency services, Blue Light Card holders, Armed Forces, and veterans are eligible for up to 50% discount on passes and subscriptions.
- Voi4Students: Students, apprentices and staff at higher education institutions qualify for a 20% discount on passes and subscriptions.
Parking properly
All users ending a trip in Hounslow must park in one of the 250+ e-bike parking bays across the borough, which are visible on the operator apps and marked with pavement markings. Both operators use geofencing technology and AI-assisted ride-end procedures to help ensure compliance with permitted parking areas.
Users who leave an e-bike outside of a designated parking bay in Hounslow will receive a warning and education from the operator. Repeated violations will result in fines and may lead to the user being suspended or banned from the scheme.
Learn how to report mis-parked e-bikes on the Hounslow E-Bike Scheme page.
Travelling between boroughs
When travelling into and out of Hounslow, E-Bike Scheme users must plan accordingly by noting the operator service areas and parking regulations in neighbouring boroughs. If the e-bike you’re riding does not have a service agreement to operate in a borough, you will not be able to ride into or end an e-bike trip in that borough.
E-bike parking rules may differ in neighbouring boroughs. When ending your trip outside of Hounslow, please follow the parking instructions on the operators’ apps.
The service area map below shows where Forest and Voi are currently operating. If travelling between Hounslow and Ealing, you can use Voi. If travelling between Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham, you can use Forest, whose service area extends across Central and South London. If travelling between Hounslow and Richmond, you currently need to change e-bike operators or transport modes prior to crossing the boundary. However, the operators are actively seeking opportunities to expand their service areas.
The issue of neighbouring boroughs having different e-bike operators is not unique to Hounslow. This is an issue at many boundaries wherever there is a change in operator. E-bike service areas are very dynamic, with boroughs deciding to review operators at different points.
We recognise that a borough-by-borough approach can be confusing and inconvenient for users, and we continue to work closely with Transport for London and neighbouring boroughs to make the case to the Department for Transport for a pan-London approach. In the meantime, we’re bringing in new measures to ensure e-bikes are better managed when left at the end of a journey.
The Government’s English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will allow all Local Transport Authorities (including Transport for London) to regulate on-street micromobility schemes (including e-bike schemes) through a licensing regime. Micromobility regulation is being coordinated by the Department for Transport. More information on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is available at this link (see part 2B. Transport and Local Infrastructure): English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Guidance - GOV.UK.
