E-bike rental scheme

Here are some of the main reasons why people who live, work and study in Hounslow are choosing to use the e-bike hire scheme:

• Green for Go: Cut your carbon and help to make Hounslow a cleaner, healthier place. 
• Money Matters: You could save money on transport costs, especially when using the affordable bundles, passes and discounts. 
• There when you need them: Multiple pick-up and drop-off locations across Hounslow for easy access, providing more travel choices to connect from home to daily destinations. 
• Healthy Hounslow: Enjoy light exercise while you travel, perfect for improving your fitness. 
• Ride more, stress less: Cycling is easier, more accessible, and more fun thanks to the electric pedal assist, which lets more people ride for longer distances. And with bike share, you don’t need to own your own bike or worry about bike theft.

Scheme usage has grown considerably since it was launched in June 2023. June 2025 recorded over 127,000 e-bike trips and nearly 30,000 active users in Hounslow.

E-bike parking bays were introduced in response to the unauthorized ‘free-floating’ e-bike scheme previously operated in the borough. Dedicated parking bays are necessary to combat the nuisance and hazard that mis-parked dockless rental e-bikes can cause on footways, particularly for people who have impaired vision or are using wheelchairs or buggies.

The e-bike scheme is part of Hounslow’s Kerbside Strategy, which is in turn part of the Council’s ambitious plans for a healthier, greener and safer Hounslow. The Kerbside Strategy reimagines our streets for the benefit of more residents, businesses and visitors, providing a comprehensive overview of all transport priorities in Hounslow.

Reallocating select vehicle parking bays to e-bike parking bays meets the Kerbside Strategy objectives of providing more sustainable mobility, improved health and wellbeing, and improving accessibility and inclusion. Vehicle parking pressures and utilisation were considered and weighed against other selection criteria when choosing e-bike parking locations.

Most footways in the borough are not wide enough to accommodate a bay. Consequently, most e-bike bays need to be on the carriageway, usually in existing marked car parking bays. This reduction in car parking is thus necessary in order for the e-bike operators and users to park the e-bikes in ways that do not obstruct the footway.

All parking bays are fully demarcated on the surface of the highway as ‘CYCLE HIRE ONLY’. Bays are located either on the footway where there is sufficient space and pedestrian clearance, or in parking bays. Most bays host between nine and twelve e-bikes. A bay with capacity for nine e-bikes will be approximately 7m long, which equates to approximately 1.5 car parking spaces.

The e-bike bay locations for each ward are shown on the map below. The operators’ apps also show exact locations of parking bays. To view detailed parking bay location plans, please see the decision reports on the E-Bike Scheme History page.

Rationale for the location strategy was reflected in our draft Kerbside Strategy, which was consulted upon in Autumn 2023. Data and feedback from TfL, London Councils, operators, and other boroughs has been used to inform the location strategy for the bays. Additionally, a series of factors and metrics that are key for cycle hire demand have informed bay densities (i.e. the spacing between each bay) across the borough. These include key destinations and trip attractors, proximity to traffic reduction schemes, proximity to existing cycle routes, propensity to cycle and current cycling behaviour.

It is important to have a consistent network of bays across the borough, as this gives e-bike users confidence they will be able to find an e-bike nearby and will be able to find space to return it at the end of their trip. In areas of high anticipated demand, the bays are spaced around 250m apart. In areas of lower anticipated demand, the bays are spaced around 500m apart. This means that bays are typically about 1/5 to 3 minutes’ walk apart, giving users confidence they will be able to find a bay/bike when they need it, close to their origin or destination.

Additional site selection criteria for bays includes not locating the bay within 5m of a junction or pedestrian crossing and ensuring that where possible, locations are well-lit, have good natural surveillance, have space for servicing vehicles nearby and ideally avoid locations under trees.

Locations have been planned in alignment with the criteria above, but some adjustments have been required to accommodate nearby trip attractors and site constraints. This has been informed by extensive site survey assessment work which has taken into consideration a range of factors, including the accessibility, visibility and security of locations, and the extent of existing pressures.

It is necessary to provide a distribution of parking bays in both residential and commercial/high street areas (near shops, train stations, etc.), as this ensures that people can travel seamlessly between their homes and local destinations.

The bays are typically installed where cars would otherwise park, so they are no closer to junctions than standard car parking. Existing double yellow lines at the junction up to the e-bike bays ensure a clearway for vehicles negotiating at the junction and aid driver visibility and access for larger statutory vehicles.

On many residential roads where parking is permitted, there is only adequate width to allow a single lane of moving traffic. As such, whether it is e-bikes or a car parked near the junction, any two-way traffic would have to stop and give way. Installing e-bike bays in the first available parking bay near a junction also ensures that the e-bike bays are not obstructed by parked cars, which would limit visibility of the bay and create hazards for e-bike users entering/exiting the bay.

Officers have reviewed specific locations across the borough where concerns have been raised; where valid safety issues were identified, these bays have been relocated.

In general, different bays experience varying levels of use at different times of the day/days of the week, depending on location context and usage patterns. For example, a bay near a tube station may be full of bikes in the morning when people commute in to connect to public transport, and then it may be empty in the evening as commuters come off the train and complete their last-mile trip home on a shared e-bike.

The operators monitor the use of each e-bike bay and will “rebalance” the bays when needed, meaning they pick up bikes from congested areas and redistribute them to empty bays. Users are incentivised (via discounts/credits) to hire bikes that are tipped over, mis-parked, and located in overcrowded bays, helping to tidy/rebalance bikes.

Users must be 18 years and over.

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. More information is provided on the How the scheme works page. Full pricing details are available on the operators’ apps.

The speed of the electric assist function on rental e-bikes is limited to 15.5mph by national legislation. It should be noted that some operators have fitted speedometers to the e-bikes, some of which are displayed in km per hour (rather than miles per hour).

Some areas of the borough have been set as Go-Slow zones, where the speed of the bikes will be limited to 8 mph. These are generally areas where although cycling is permitted, there are likely to be high volumes of pedestrians and particular caution is needed from e-bike scheme users.

E-Bikes are permitted to be ridden in cycle lanes and general traffic lanes on carriageways unless otherwise indicated by signage (e.g., on certain high-speed motorways).

E-bikes are not permitted to be ridden on the pavement. However, there are many areas across the borough where space is shared by cyclists and pedestrians, which will generally be signed accordingly and e-bikes are permitted to use. It is important that riders behave considerately where space is shared. Inconsiderate behaviour can reduce the appeal of these places and is particularly intimidating for people with reduced mobility, or who have hearing or vision difficulties.

Where riding in shared spaces please:

• Be courteous and patient with pedestrians and other path users.
• Slow down in areas where space is limited or pedestrians are present.
• Take extra care in places where you cannot see clearly ahead, such as junctions, bends or blind spots.
• Use the e-bike’s bell to make people aware of your presence but be aware that some people might not hear or see you if they are hard of hearing or visually impaired.

There are some other areas of the borough where cycling is not permitted or is not advisable, such as certain parks and gardens. These are noted in red on the e-bike operators’ apps and are called No-Go zones. The e-bike’s GPS system will detect when a bike is entering these areas, users will be notified and the electric assist function will cut out, making the bike very heavy to pedal. There will also be some areas where the speed of the e-bike is limited, which are called Go-Slow zones. The No-Go and Go-Slow zones will be kept under regular review.

It is an offence for cyclists to ride on the pavement, unless it has been classified as a cycle route (this may be shared with pedestrians or segregated, and it will normally be signed as such as noted above). We have sought to locate any footway e-bike bays in close proximity to dropped kerbs, which help users safely access the carriageway to help discourage pavement cycling.

Enforcement against pavement cycling is predominantly a matter for the police. However, if you spot an e-bike user doing so, you can report the time and location of the incident to the operator who will use their GPS tracking system to investigate. This may result in the user being either fined or banned from the scheme.

There will be fluctuations in where the fleet is located at any point in time as scheme users hire the bikes and complete their journey. The operators monitor the distribution of the e-bikes and redistribute them as necessary to ensure there is good availability as well as space to return the bikes in each bay. Minimum and maximum limits on the number of bikes permitted in each area of the borough have been agreed and are regularly reviewed with operators.

The e-bike batteries are monitored by the operators. When an e-bike battery is low on charge it is taken out of service by the operator and the battery is swapped for one that is fully charged. These operations are undertaken in e-vans and e-cargo bikes. The batteries are charged by the operator off-site (outside of the borough) within strict safety parameters. Operator battery hardware and handling processes are tried and tested and meet and exceed all industry safety requirements.

Compared to the sound of a car engine, e-bikes are relatively quiet. In-app messages will also be used by operators to encourage riders to behave considerately if using the service during late night/early morning hours. Officers have been monitoring feedback on the scheme throughout the trial and are working closely with operators to address concerns. Any noise concerns should be sent to the operator.

When large events such as music festivals and football matches occur, there is potential for the existing e-bike bays to overflow due to increased parking demand. As such, the Council will work with operators and other relevant stakeholders to develop tailored operations plans for temporary event-based e-bike parking in the borough.

Operators will conduct joint site visits and event organiser engagement, provide dedicated on-street staff during events (to communicate with users and rebalance e-bikes as required), temporary virtual bays and other geofencing updates (agreed in coordination with the Council and event organisers), and bespoke communication to e-bike scheme users.

This approach has been used London-wide (London’s New Year’s Eve, Wimbledon, London Marathon, etc.) and at local events such as Krankbrother festival (Gunnersbury Park), Junction 2 festival (Boston Manor) and Brentford FC matches.

Each operator uses a variety of tools to ensure high levels of parking compliance, including end-of-ride photo verification software and geo-location technology. They will work with Council officers to refine geo-fencing zone boundaries where needed to ensure compliant parking.   

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.   

The Council’s new contracts with operators set out strict service level agreements for operators to ensure parking compliance and collect mis-parked e-bikes in a timely manner. Please report mis-parked Forest and Voi e-bikes directly to the operators using the contact info below. E-bike issues can be also reported via Fix My Street. These reports will be sent directly to the e-bike operator for resolution.

Forest

• Email: cs@humanforest.co.uk  
• Phone: 020 8157 7491  
• You can also report inside the Forest app.

Voi

• Email: support@voi.com  
• Phone: +44 7476 550190  
• Online reporting: report.voi.com or directly through the app

The Council has also developed a Dockless E-Bike Enforcement Procedure to tackle non-compliant parking, learning from what other authorities are doing. This will be implemented by the Council’s service providers at Hounslow Highways.

Any non-compliant e-bike (i.e. an operator other than Forest or Voi) mis-parked in the borough after 11 August 2025 should be reported via Fix My Street. These reports will be sent to Hounslow Highways for collection.

Neither Forest nor Voi have experienced hacking of their e-bikes to date in their current operating areas. We will continue to monitor this issue moving forward and will work closely with the operators and police to address any issues that arise.

If there is a particular location/time when you think vandalism may be taking place, please contact the operators or contact the police on 111 as appropriate.

Implementing an e-bike scheme with physical docks is not operationally or financially feasible in Hounslow at this time. Docked e-bike share systems are very expensive to install and also require agreement and investment from other boroughs across London to implement. This is because on a practical level, shared e-bike users do not pay attention to borough boundaries – they want to travel to destinations across London, meaning bikes are constantly crossing borough boundaries. As such, bikeshare in Hounslow cannot operate in isolation – it needs to be considered at a regional, London-wide level.

Transport for London funded the initial installation and subsequent expansion of the docked bikeshare scheme in Central London. However, due to high costs, there are currently no plans for Transport for London to fund further expansion into Hounslow. The newer GPS-enabled dockless bikeshare systems – like the one operating in Hounslow – enables schemes to be implemented for far less capital investment than a docked system. Most new e-bike share systems being implemented around the world are dockless.

The Council have appointed two new operators, Forest and Voi, to deliver exclusively the e-bike rental service in the borough. The new operator contracts will be in place of Lime, commencing from 11 August 2025. More information can be found in this press release.

The Council’s Kerbside Strategy called for the introduction of a second e-bike operator to introduce competition and keep user pricing affordable. As such, officers decided to launch a competitive procurement process to select up to two e-bike scheme operators. This decision was driven by resident feedback and the opportunity to implement a contract-based model that allows for stronger accountability and service improvements.

Limiting the number of providers allowed the Council to run a competitive procurement process, which in turn helped us secure the strongest offers across pricing, operations, parking compliance, user fees and community benefit.

Key benefits of the updated scheme include:

• Lower prices: Tailored discounts for residents, low-income users and local businesses.
• Improved parking: Advanced technology and stricter enforcement for designated bay use.
• Safer riding: Induction training, moderated speeds for new riders and safety incentives.
• New e-bike options: Including lighter models and trialling e-bikes with cargo baskets or child seats.
• Accessibility: 24/7 bilingual customer support.
• Sustainable operations: Zero-emission service vehicles
• Community focus: Partnerships with community organisations and local apprenticeships.

From a user perspective, the e-bike scheme will work in a similar way as before, only with different operators and pricing. Users can locate and hire an e-bike using the operator apps – Forest and Voi. All users looking to end an e-bike trip in Hounslow must still 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.

Voi and Forest will share the existing e-bike parking bays. The bays are labelled ‘cycle hire only’ and are not operator specific.

No. As of 11 August 2025, Lime bikes are no longer permitted to be ridden or parked in Hounslow. Hounslow will become a “No Go Zone” for Lime bikes, meaning the e-assist will shut off once users enter the borough. Lime riders should end their trips before entering Hounslow and continue their journey using Forest, Voi or an alternative mode of transport.

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 travelling by e-bike into a borough that is not included in that operator’s service area, users will need to end their trip within a service area before continuing their journey. A Service Area map is provided on the How the Scheme Works page.

Forest and Voi will be seeking opportunities to further improve their area of coverage.

Resident, business, and Councillor feedback from the Council’s Kerbside Strategy consultation and the e-bike scheme trial highlighted clear demands for better parking compliance and more affordable prices.

The Council will continue to monitor performance and resident feedback to ensure the scheme delivers long-term value and supports sustainable transport across the borough.

The costs associated with the E-Bike Scheme are covered from the income that is received from e-bike operations. As part of the Council’s E-Bike Scheme contract, e-bike operators are obliged to pay for use of the bays.