E-bike rental scheme

Trial approvals (Spring 2023)

Prior to Summer 2023, shared e-bikes in Hounslow were operating under an unauthorised free-floating model (i.e. the e-bikes could be parked wherever the user saw fit). As the use of e-bikes has greatly increased in recent years, a more formalised scheme was needed to help minimise instances of bikes being left in an obstructive manner on footpaths and carriageways.

In response, the Cabinet approved an E-Bike Scheme trial on 18 April 2023. The trial introduced dedicated e-bike parking bays in which the e-bikes must be parked and, in partnership with the operator, implemented warnings/fines/bans for non-compliant parking to better regulate e-bike operations. 

The April 2023 Cabinet report delegated authority to the Assistant Director Traffic, Transport & Parking to approve the locations for the e-bike bays as site selection work was completed. Chief Officer Decision (COD) reports for each phase of the E-Bike Scheme were published as follows:

• Phase 1: Chief Officer Delegated Decisions - Wednesday, 31 May 2023

• Phase 2: Chief Officer Delegated Decisions - Monday, 31 July 2023

• Phase 3: Phase 3: Chief Officer Delegated Decisions - Friday, 12 July 2024

• Phase 4: Chief Officer Delegated Decisions - Tuesday, 31 October 2023

The table below provides the COD report link for each ward as well as detailed location plans for each parking bay (the location plans are appendices to the COD reports). In some cases, bay locations were adjusted in later phases, which is why some of the wards have multiple CODs and location plans.

Operator agreement (Spring 2023)

In May 2023, we entered an MOU agreement with Lime to operate the E-Bike Scheme. 

Launch of trial (Summer 2023)

Following approvals and the MOU agreement, we launched the e-bike trial in June 2023. This included introducing over 260 mandatory parking bays. The bays are predominantly located in existing carriageway parking bays, with a smaller number of footway bays provided where suitable.   

The e-bike parking bays were delivered across three key geographic areas of the borough, in four phases:  

• Phase 1: launched in Brentford and Chiswick (known as Area 1) on 5 June 2023.  

• Phase 2: launched in Isleworth, Hounslow, Osterley and Spring Grove (known as Area 2) on 10 July 2023.  

• Phase 3: launched in Bedfont, Cranford, Feltham, Hanworth and Heston (known as Area 3) on 18 September 2023, along with some minor amendments to the bays in Areas 1 and 2.  

• Phase 4: minor amendments to the scheme completed across all areas in autumn 2023, based on scheme feedback.  

Trial consultation (Summer 2023 to Autumn 2024)

In addition to the Cabinet and Chief Officer Decision approvals outlined above, we consulted on the draft Kerbside Strategy in summer/autumn 2023, which provided the opportunity for comments on the general principles of the scheme. A summary of this consultation can be found in Appendix 2 of the 16 July 2024 Cabinet report. Residents near the parking bays also received letters outlining the process and proposed bay locations, with opportunity for comment.

The parking bays were implemented through an experimental traffic management order (ETMO) for an initial six months, with the possibility of extension to up to 18 months. As part of the ETMO process, we were required to collect feedback for the first 6 months of the trial, at minimum. This was later extended to 12 months (see below). As such, residents, businesses and members were able to provide feedback throughout the entire length of trial, which was recorded and reviewed. In response to feedback, initial adjustments were made to parking bays in the first 6 months of operation, where appropriate. Feedback was also reviewed as part of the E-Bike Scheme Review (see below).

A range of data was collected throughout the trial period and was used to inform a decision on the scheme. This includes the trial feedback outlined above as well as data from the operator on the number of trips made each month, the number of scheme users, key origins and destinations, collision data, numbers of scheme users receiving fines/bans. For the trial to be considered a success, on balance these metrics had to have demonstrated that the scheme has been a positive addition to the borough’s transport network. Any negative consequences need to be carefully managed, or steps put in place to mitigate/reduce these as far as possible.

The trial period results were positive, particularly when compared to the unauthorised free-floating scheme that was in operation up to June 2023. Key findings include:

Users and ridership:

• At the start of the trial in June 2023, there were around 11,500 active E-Bike Scheme users in Hounslow and just over 40,000 trips started in the borough that month. By September 2024, the scheme had grown to 23,250 active users and over 93,400 trip starts in the borough. This represents a 132% increase in ridership and 100% increase in active users over 16 months.

• The average e-bike trip in Hounslow is around 2.3 km and lasts about 10 minutes. That means in September 2024 alone, E-Bike Scheme users starting a trip in Hounslow travelled approximately 220,000+ kilometres and cycled for over 15,566 hours (the equivalent of 648 days).

Parking compliance:

Scheme monitoring shows that 95% of trip ends are parked compliantly. Users who do not park within a bay at the end of their trip face a fine, the level of which increases after each use, before they are ultimately banned from the scheme. Since January 2024, an average of around 500 users per week were fined for improper parking in Hounslow. This number has dropped from over 1,000 fines per week in August 2023, mirroring improvements in parking compliance rates.

• It should be noted that in the absence of dedicated bays for the e-bikes, local authorities do not currently have the power to prevent operators from deploying a free-floating fleet (i.e. e-bikes not parked in dedicated bays) in the borough. The borough, along with London Councils, wrote to Simon Lightwood MP, the MP for Local Transport, to lobby for regulation. Subsequently, the English Devolution White Paper (16 Dec 2024) outlined the Government’s intent to empower Local Transport Authorities (including TfL) to regulate on-street micromobility schemes, and the Department of Transport have begun engagement on this topic. 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

• TfL are taking enforcement action against e-bike operators who deploy bikes outside designated parking places on red routes and TfL land (see Dockless E-Bike and E-Scooter Enforcement Policy). TfL’s offer to test this approach has informed London Boroughs’ implementation of similar measures. Hounslow has since developed its own enforcement procedure.

Operator response times:

• Our agreement sets out operator response times dictating how quickly the operator was expected to respond to issues such as mis-parked or damaged bicycles. Where an e-bike is damaged/not operational (but not causing an obstruction), it had to be removed within 24 hours from the time of receipt of notification and repaired before returning to the fleet. Where an e-bike presents a danger or obstruction, it had to be removed within 2 hours from the time of receipt of notification.

E-Bike Scheme review (Autumn 2024 to Winter 2025)

The E-Bike Scheme is part of Hounslow’s Kerbside Strategy, which was approved on 16 July 2024. The Cabinet report recommended that the e-bike trial be extended from 6 to 12 months so that data for a full 12-month period could be evaluated in each of the three e-bike areas. This gave residents the opportunity to try using the e-bikes across all seasons and provide feedback on the scheme.

The 16 July 2024 Cabinet report also delegated authority to the Assistant Director Traffic, Transport & Parking, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change, to make permanent the ETMOs associated with the E-Bike Scheme, subject to the satisfactory review of a full 12 months of data from each scheme area, a further review of e-bike parking bay locations, consultation with ward members and implementation of the amendments set out in the Cabinet report.

In Autumn 2024, we initiated this review, with officers analysing the data and responses received during the trial period and consulting with ward members. The review was split across the three operating areas and considered the metrics outlined above. Where concerns were raised about individual parking bays, officers conducted a review to assess safety and functional criteria. General comments related to e-bike operations, such as mis-parked bikes, noise complaints, anti-social behaviour, etc. tend not to be site-specific as these may occur in any parking bay. As such, they were not considered reasons to remove/relocate a bay, unless there were site specific considerations.

Scheme made permanent (Winter 2025)

The E-Bike Scheme was made permanent in February 2025 following the E-Bike Scheme Review, with Chief Officer Decision reports confirming which parking bays were to be retained, relocated, added, and removed (see table below). Boroughwide results are summarized as follows:

• Area 1: Of the 82 existing parking bays, 77 retained, 5 relocated, zero removed and 1 added.
• Area 2: Of the 82 existing parking bays, 66 retained, 11 relocated, 5 removed, and 4 added.
• Area 3: Of the 100 existing parking bays, 85 retained, 4 relocated, 11 removed and 2 added.

Consultation on new/relocated bays (Spring to Summer 2025)

All proposed new and relocated e-bike parking bays were subject to formal (statutory) consultation. A statutory consultation is a process whereby we advertise its proposal to introduce or amend restrictions on the public highway.

The statutory consultation process for the new and relocated bays ran from 6 June 2025 to 20 July 2025 bays (reference: TMO/P053/24). Consultation included letter drops to residents and business in the vicinity of the bays as well as notices being posted on-street, on the council’s website, in the Hounslow Herald and in The London Gazette advising of the council’s proposals.

Plans of each e-bike parking bay location under consultation can be viewed at this link:

Download the Proposed e-bike bay plans - Summer 2025

In total, the Council received 13 responses to the Statutory Consultation. Officers, in consultation with ward members, were able to address all comments – no objections were maintained. As such, officers recommended proceeding with all proposed new e-bike parking and all proposed bay relocations. This recommendation was approved in an Authority to Approve report and appendices, which can be read in full below.

Launch of new e-bike operators (Summer 2025)

We appointed two new operators, Forest and Voi, to deliver exclusively the e-bike rental service in the borough. Both contracts began on 11 August 2025. As part of this process, we have formally ended Lime’s e-bike operations.

Learn more about the e-bike operator transition on the FAQ page.