Lime bikes could disappear from another London borough as council backs rival firm

The proposal follows a competitive tender process and will go before the council's transport committee next Monday for a final decision.

If councillors approve the move, Richmond will join a growing number of London boroughs where Lime bikes are no longer allowed.

Council officers said Forest offered the strongest overall proposal, even though Lime scored slightly higher when it came to service quality.

Council papers detailed: "Officers consider the submission from Forest (as sole provider) represents the best overall proposal."

Price appeared to be the deciding factor. The council's scoring system gave 25 per cent of points to the size of the fee paid by the operator to the council, with the rest of the pricing score based on how much riders would be charged to use the bikes.

While the exact financial details of the bids have not been made public, officials concluded that Forest's offer provided better value overall.

But councillors still have the option to reject the recommendation. They could instead select another provider or allow multiple companies to operate in the borough at the same time.

At present, Lime is currently the only e-bike operator in Richmond. Riders completed more than 1.5 million journeys in the borough during 2025, highlighting how widely the bikes are used.

However, council documents suggested there have been problems with the number of bikes being left on the streets. Under Lime's current agreement, only 500 bikes are permitted in the borough. But officials say far more are often seen.

The council papers state that "considerably more than twice this number can be observed in the borough." This has led to complaints from residents about bikes being left in unsuitable places.

Richmond Council leader Gareth Roberts has previously said most people use the bikes responsibly, but acknowledged that some incidents spark strong reactions.

He said hire bikes can turn "normally rational and well-balanced individuals" into "human volcanoes, ready to erupt at any time."

If Richmond switches to Forest, it will mirror a similar move made by neighbouring Hounslow last year. Hounslow banned Lime bikes and instead allowed Forest and Voi to operate. The decision meant Lime bikes could not be ridden through the borough, leading to large numbers of the green bikes piling up near the border.

Comedian Dara Ó Briain joked that the scenes resembled Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, referring to the Cold War crossing point. A Richmond decision to appoint Forest would further shrink Lime's presence across south-west London.

Kingston upon Thames and Sutton have already excluded Lime from their schemes, although both councils are currently reviewing plans that could allow two operators in the future.

Council papers explained how choosing Forest would improve connections with neighbouring Hounslow's scheme, although officials said this was "not decisive in the final analysis." Forest welcomed the recommendation, saying it had been a tough competition.

A spokesperson said: "This was a highly competitive and rigorous process, and we're proud that the strength of our bid stood out."

They added that expanding into Richmond would be "another important step in growing Forest's network in the capital." The company said the move would help link riders across several boroughs, including Kingston, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham and Wandsworth.

Richmond Council said e-bikes have become "a key piece of transport infrastructure" in the borough and insisted the chosen operator must deliver good service while offering value for taxpayers.

Currently, rules around e-bike schemes are set up separately by each London borough, with no single city-wide system. However, Transport for London hopes to gain more control over the sector in the future if the English Devolution Bill is passed later this year.