Thousands of e-bikes seized in the last year as anger grows over dockless bikes

London boroughs have seized over 3,000 ebikes this year, with hire companies facing growing calls to stop blocking pavements.

Local authorities across the city have seized 3,393 dangerously parked or abandoned ebikes so far this year, according to an investigation by The Guardian - a 23% increase from the whole of 2025.

Lime bikes accounted for more than 2,000 of the seizures this year, according to data that was provided by 19 reporting authorities under a Freedom of Information request. Forest ranked second, with 978 seizures, followed by Voi at 103.

Dockless ebikes have surged in popularity in recent years, being used for one in 10 of the 1.5m daily cycle journeys in the city, according to estimates by TfL.

A row of Forest and Lime rental e-bikes seen parked on a pavement

Getty

Campaigners have called on providers to do more to prevent build-ups of their bikes on pavements and roads.

Erik Matthies, policy lead at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), said that the rise in abandoned bikes was “overwhelming” blind and partially sighted people, as well as elderly people and wheelchair users.

Mr Matthies told the Guardian: “People are having collisions and injuries due to bikes left on the pavement, and the problem is getting worse.

“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.”

Zak Viney, from campaign group Living Streets, added: “Irresponsibly parked ebikes cause a lot of problems. It prevents people from walking and wheeling on the street safely.”

A Voi E-bike in Ealing

LDRS

James Slater, a councillor in Camden, said: “We need to have a London-wide approach. It’s very difficult for 32 councils in London to all have slightly different policies, and in some cases different operators on borough boundaries.”

However, the bike operators have argued that councils are not investing sufficiently in building more parking bays, which could prevent such build-ups.

A spokesperson for Lime said: “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.

“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.”

The mayor of London’s office said it was working closely with TfL and the DfT 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.”