Richmond councillors have been reviewing the future of hire e-bikes and e-scooters in the borough, as usage continues to rise but concerns remain around parking and safety.

At the Transport and Air Quality Committee meeting on Monday 8 September, councillors considered the current Lime e-bike scheme and received an update on the London-wide e-scooter trial.

E-bikes: rising use but parking complaints

Richmond Council has an agreement with Lime to operate up to 500 hire e-bikes locally. Trips have increased sharply, with more than 1 million journeys in 2024 and over 169,000 trips in June 2025 alone, up from 108,000 in the same month last year.

However, growth has been slower compared to neighbouring boroughs, partly because Richmond has kept a tighter cap on fleet size.

Lime says more bikes would boost uptake, but the Council says it first wants better management of rider behaviour and parking.

Most complaints about e-bikes in Richmond relate to bikes left blocking pavements. While Lime says they clear obstructions within an hour, council officers admitted this "clearly doesn't always happen".

There is also issues around hacked Lime bikes and the common occurrence of this, with some riders not parking them properly as they do not need to send a photo of their non-obstructive parked position to Lime.

Councillors also discussed the impact of poor coordination between boroughs, with neighbouring Hounslow using different operators, leading to Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain joking that riding a Lime bike across the border feels like crossing "Checkpoint Charlie".

E-scooters: fewer trips, stricter rules

The TfL-backed e-scooter trial is also running in Richmond, where more than 297,400 trips have been made since launch, around 6% of the total across London.

The borough receives about £600 a month in income, plus bay installation fees totalling £23,350 to date.

Unlike e-bikes, rental e-scooters have tighter restrictions: riders need a driving licence, can only start and finish journeys in designated bays, and must follow no-go or go-slow zones. This has made them less popular than e-bikes overall.

Looking ahead

The Council is considering several changes, including:

• Expanding e-bike parking bays to 150–200 spaces.
• Allowing Lime to increase its fleet by 250 bikes initially, with the option to grow to 1,000.
• Keeping a hybrid parking model but requiring mandatory bay use at hotspots such as stations and park entrances.
• Ensuring operators have plans for major events, better transparency on complaints and usage data, and clear contractual agreements.

During the meeting, a member of the public questioned why e-bike numbers should be increased given a reported 130% rise in cycle collisions last year.

Committee chair Cllr Alexander Ehmann acknowledged concerns but said the rise reflected both more cyclists on the roads and improved reporting. He added that improving road layout and design was key to safety.

The Council has also said it supports national regulation of e-bike providers, but does not want a one-size-fits-all approach imposed by TfL which could reduce flexibility for outer London riders.

To read the full report click here.

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