FOREST E-BIKES GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT TO REPLACE LIME BIKES IN RICHMOND BOROUGH
Richmond Council’s Transport Committee has formally agreed to award Forest Bikes the lucrative contract to provide e-bike services across the borough replacing Lime bikes.
The committee voted for the recommendation by a ‘clear majority’ after a lively discussion about the merits of dropping Lime bikes in favour of Forest and the possibility of a ‘dual operator’ scheme with both companies providing e-bikes.
One councillor asked if the decision was influence by the fact the Lime was owned by the US company Uber and that Forest was British-owned.
Three guest speakers passionately expressed their views that Lime e-bikes should be retained by the council to allow easy travel across neighbouring boroughs and one speaker said e-bike users would be reluctant to switch brands.
One councillors urged the committee to consider mobility issues and prams and to try to ensure against ‘anti-social parking and getting bikes removed.’
The committee carefully avoided detailed discussion on the actual value of the contract to the council which was contained in an ‘exempt paper’ which was deemed to be ‘commercially sensitive.’ The council was told that the deal would support public services like road-surfacing and community services and projects.
The criteria for the awarding contract was based on the following:
*An effective approach to minimising hacking and other forms of misuse, and ensuring the safety of users and pedestrians through appropriate IT, security or other measures;
*Management of parking, protecting pedestrian amenity and specifically pedestrians with mobility difficulties;
*Complaints process and clear responsiveness to complaints;
*Transparent usage and monitoring data;
*A high quality, safe vehicle and preferably a variety of vehicles to cater for users of different size and strength and with different needs;
*Transparent and competitive pricing for users, with discounts to assist with affordability and to widen the appeal of services;
*Full commitment to not exceeding the agreed fleet size without permission;
*Reach of coverage given many journeys cross borough boundaries.
The council said: “It is noted that the quality scores are similar and that all operators put forward excellent overall submissions in respect of service management and social value
“It is noted that Forest score highest for both Lots in terms of the pricing schedule and in terms of overall ranking. Officers consider the submission from Forest under Lot 1 represents the best overall proposal.”
They said: “The completion of a contract with Forest would be subject to the appropriate procurement and legal requirements.
“Officers would work with operators to ensure a smooth transition between providers.”
The Executive Director of Finance said that the provision of a dockless e-bike hire scheme supports the objectives of the Council’s Climate Emergency Strategy.
“The provider of the dockless e-bike hire scheme meets the cost of operating the scheme and will pay an annual fee to the Council for being able to operate within the borough. This receipt is used by the Council to support the management of the scheme. ”
The number of e-bike journeys across the Borough has increased from 1.019.156 in 2024 to 1.518.781 in 2025, the council was told.
In excess of 3 million kilometres were travelled in Richmond by e-bike in 2025. Lime’s surveys indicate that some 8% of e-bike journeys would otherwise be undertaken by car, saving about 32 tonnes of CO2 and 1,400kg of NOx per annum.
A council spokesperson told Teddington Town: “Rental e-bikes have become a key piece of transport infrastructure in Richmond — with more than 1.5 million journeys taken in the borough last year alone — giving residents a quick, easy, and sustainable travel option.
“Following a fair and competitive procurement process, Council officers have recommended Forest as Richmond’s preferred operator from this summer.
“All bidders demonstrated a strong level of service, but Forest scored highest overall against the council’s evaluation criteria — including service quality, e-bike user cost, and value to council taxpayers.
“Any decision to award a contract to a provider will (subject to contract) be carefully managed to minimise disruption, support resident use and reduce the incidence of poor parking behaviours.”