Request ID: FOI-4294-2324 Date published: 12 March 2024
You asked
Dear TfL,
I would like to request the following information under the Freedom of Information act.
1. The total number of Lime Bikes in London for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
2. The growth in the number of Lime Bikes each year in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
3. A break-down for the number of e-bikes in London from different e-bike companies (Lime, Forest etc) in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
4. The number of injuries from e-bikes (broken down into different e-bike providers) in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Please respond to me via this email address and do not hesitate to contact me if you require further clarification.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-4294-2324 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 19th February 2024 asking for information about e-bikes in London. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below, to the extent that we can:
Question 1: The total number of Lime Bikes in London for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Answer: TfL does not hold the requested information. At present, dockless e-bike services are unregulated and so TfL and the Mayor of London have no powers to control how these services are run and operators have no requirement to share data about their services. We are encouraging the Government to give cities the powers to properly manage dockless e-bikes to improve safety and ensure parking is better controlled, and we expect data sharing requirements would be part of that.
Question 2: The growth in the number of Lime Bikes each year in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Answer: This essentially asks for the same information as Question 1. As stated above, TfL does not hold this information.
Question 3: A break-down for the number of e-bikes in London from different e-bike companies (Lime, Forest etc) in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Answer: In regard to the TfL-operated Santander cycle hire scheme, 500 e-bikes were introduced in 2022. A further 100 were added in 2023 and 1,400 additional e-bikes will be introduced later in 2024. In regard to other, private operators, TfL does not hold the exact information requested. That said, as part of a series of on-going market engagement with operators (starting in March 2022 and still ongoing), we asked all London operators in August 2023 for some key data to help us explore how much and where parking bays for e-bikes and e-scooters might be prioritised across the city, including asking for the total deployed on-street e-bike fleet over the 3 month summer period (June, July and August). The information given in return by some operators was provided in confidence, and is hence exempt from release under section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act.
Question 4: The number of injuries from e-bikes (broken down into different e-bike providers) in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Answer: TfL does not hold this information, apart from in relation to the TfL-operated Santander cycle hire scheme, which is as follows:
Year
Number of injuries
2022 (Oct – Dec)
2
2023
7
2024 (Jan – Feb)
3
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed. Yours sincerely, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
