From the Guardian · · 2m
London councils seized 3,393 ebikes this year
Dockless hire bikes now carry one in ten London cycle trips, and the pavement pile-ups are getting bikes hauled away by the thousand.
In brief
Dockless hire bikes now carry one in ten London cycle trips, and the pavement pile-ups are getting bikes hauled away by the thousand. Everyone agrees badly parked hire bikes are a problem, but nobody has had the power to fix it city-wide. TfL is about to get it. Originally reported by the Guardian.
Three thousand bikes, impounded
London boroughs seized 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned ebikes so far in 2026, according to a Guardian investigation. That is 23% more than all of 2025.
Lime tops the list
The California-based firm accounted for more than 2,000 seizures. Forest came second with 978, then Voi with 103, per FOI responses from 19 authorities.
They got popular fast
Dockless ebikes took off as a cheaper, greener way around town. TfL estimates one in ten of London's 1.5m daily cycle journeys is now made on one.
Pavements stop being pavements
Living Streets campaigner Zak Viney says badly parked bikes block the basic act of getting down a street on foot or on wheels.
“It prevents people from walking and wheeling on the street safely.”
Blind Londoners stay home
The RNIB's Erik Matthies says abandoned bikes are overwhelming blind and partially sighted people, plus elderly people and wheelchair users. Collisions and injuries are rising.
“There are blind people who tell us they do not go out on their own any more.”
Camden's eclipse swarm
Councillor James Slater says ebikes end up in resident parking bays and blocking roads. During the solar eclipse, swarms of them appeared around Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath.
“The operators have a responsibility to make sure the bikes are not causing a public nuisance.”
A 32-council jigsaw puzzle
Slater says slightly different policies in every borough, sometimes with different operators either side of a boundary, make planning almost impossible.
“We need to have a London-wide approach.”
TfL gets the licence power
April's English devolution bill lets councils license operators and set parking, safety and accessibility rules. In London that power sits with TfL, which is expected to build one framework for the whole capital.
“much-needed controls as quickly as possible”
Operators blame the bays
Lime says most trips end responsibly and seizures cluster at overcrowded bays. Forest agrees parking has not kept pace with demand. Voi says its bikes should never block access routes.
“parking is a challenge across the industry”
The one thing
Everyone agrees badly parked hire bikes are a problem, but nobody has had the power to fix it city-wide. TfL is about to get it.
