London boroughs have seized at least 3,000 ebikes this year, according to a Guardian investigation, because apparently "park it wherever you feel emotionally ready to stop" was not a viable urban transport strategy. Local authorities across the capital confiscated 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned ebikes so far this year - 23% higher than the number seized during all of 2025, a year that evidently had lower ambitions.
Lime, the California-based bike rental company, accounted for more than 2,000 of this year's seizures, per figures from 19 reporting authorities obtained under a freedom of information request. Forest ranked second with 978 seizures overall, followed by Voi at a comparatively modest 103, presumably because its bikes are just better at hiding.
Dockless ebikes have surged in popularity as a cheaper and greener alternative to other modes of transport. One in 10 of the 1.5m daily cycle journeys in the city are made using dockless ebikes, according to Transport for London (TfL) estimates - which is a genuinely good thing, right up until the moment one is lying across a pavement like a metal shrug.
Campaigners are calling on providers to do more to prevent buildups of their bikes on pavements and roads. "Irresponsibly parked ebikes cause a lot of problems," said Zak Viney of the campaign group Living Streets. "It prevents people from walking and wheeling on the street safely."
Erik Matthies, policy lead at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said the rise in abandoned ebikes was overwhelming blind and partially sighted people, as well as elderly people and wheelchair users. "People are having collisions and injuries due to bikes left on the pavement, and the problem is getting worse," he said. "There are blind people who tell us they do not go out on their own any more and they do not make journeys that they used to."
The Guardian sent freedom of information requests to all 21 London boroughs with dockless bike contracts, plus the City of London, which manages the financial district. Of these, nine said they did not seize or fine any bike operators, and three either did not reply within the deadline or said they did not hold the information - a bureaucratic trifecta of nothing to see here.
James Slater, a councillor in Camden, said ebikes had been left in resident parking bays and had obstructed traffic on roads. "During the solar eclipse we had swarms of ebikes around Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath," he said. "The operators have a responsibility to make sure the bikes are not causing a public nuisance."
Bike operators argue councils are not investing sufficiently in building more parking bays, which could prevent the buildup of poorly parked bikes on pavement. Councils, meanwhile, have bemoaned a lack of centralised regulation across London, which they argue would make planning easier. It is the classic standoff: one side says "build more parking," the other says "give us one rulebook," and the pavement remains the loser.
Slater described regulation across London as a "jigsaw puzzle." "We need to have a London-wide approach," he said. "It's very difficult for 32 councils in London to all have slightly different policies, and in some cases different operators on borough boundaries."
The English devolution bill, passed in April, gives local authorities in England fresh powers to license rental ebike operators and set requirements around parking, safety and accessibility standards. In London, the new licensing powers go to TfL, which is expected to create a single capital-wide regulatory framework for dockless ebike operators.
The mayor of London's office said it was working closely with TfL and the Department for Transport on the secondary legislation required to implement "much-needed controls as quickly as possible." A spokesperson said: "It's vital that safety improvements sit at the heart of any future regulation to ensure the industry can continue to thrive. The mayor continues to urge all dockless operators to fully engage with London boroughs and TfL to ensure their services work well for all Londoners."
Lime said the fact it is the biggest ebike operator in London should be taken into account when considering the number of its bikes seized, adding that incidents mostly occurred at overcrowded parking bays. "The vast majority of our riders end their trips responsibly, and a very small proportion of total rides result in seizures and fines by councils," a spokesperson said. "We recognise that parking is a challenge across the industry largely due to ebike parking not keeping pace with growing demand for rental ebike services."
Forest also said the number of designated parking bays had not kept pace with demand, adding it was "working close with boroughs to encourage responsible parking and ensure our service works for everyone."
A Voi spokesperson said: "Voi vehicles should never be parked in a way that blocks access routes, lift areas, pavements, entrances or emergency routes. We recognise the particular impact poor parking can have on disabled people, parents with pushchairs and people using mobility aids, and we take reports of obstruction seriously."