How the scheme works
Getting started
To get started, download the Forest and Voi apps to your smartphone. Users must be 18 years and over for Forest and 16 years and over for Voi.
Once signed up, 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 discounts by purchasing a minute bundle or subscription in advance. Both Forest and Voi offer several options, depending on how often and how long you’re riding, 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 has updated their pay-as-you-go pricing to offer dynamic discounts of 1-30 free ride minutes per trip (plus a £1 unlock fee per trip). Each bike is assigned either 1, 2, 5, 10 or 30 free ride minutes per trip, with bikes that need to be relocated (e.g., bikes in an overcrowded parking bay) being assigned a higher discount to encourage users to hire them. This means that it is possible to ride for 30 minutes for as little as £1. More information is provided here: How to do a £1 ride on a forest bike | Forest Blog.
- Friends of the Forest programme offers 50% 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.
- Delivery Plus scheme with bespoke discount for delivery cyclists.
- Cycle to work scheme with packages available from around £1/day for basic-rate taxpayers.
- Users can earn up to 3 free minutes per day by watching video advertisements on the Forest App.
Voi:
- Voi’s Equitable Access Programmes offer several bespoke discounts; click on the England section of the website to see offers available in Hounslow. You must apply and provide proof of eligibility to receive the offers. Current offers are summarised below.
- 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 a 50% discount on passes and subscriptions.
- Voi4Heroes: NHS staff, Blue Light Card holders, military personnel and veterans qualify for a 20% discount on passes and subscriptions.
- Voi4Students: Students, apprentices and staff at higher education institutions qualify for a 20% discount on passes and subscriptions.
- Cycle to work scheme offers ride subscriptions from £13.24 per month.
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
E-bike parking rules may differ in neighbouring boroughs. When ending your trip outside of Hounslow, please plan accordingly and follow the parking instructions on the operators’ apps.
The service area map below shows where Forest and Voi are currently operating. Use Voi to travel between Hounslow and Ealing. If travelling between Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham (and beyond into Central London), you can use either Forest or Voi. Richmond currently has Lime but have approved Forest as the borough’s next hire e-bike operator, subject to contract, from summer 2026 (visit London Borough of Richmond upon Thames website for more info). For now, Forest and Voi users may ride through Richmond but cannot end a trip in the borough.
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 highly 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
