E-scooter and E-bike rental schemes
Southwark has been participating in Transport for London’s (TfL) pan-London scooter trial for several years and has extended the trial until mid-2026. The trial remains the only legal way to use e-scooters on the roads across the country.
The scooters have been developed to provide the safest experience possible for users and pedestrians. This includes geo-fencing certain areas to either go slow (such as parks or shared-use zones) or no go to reduce conflict between pedestrians and e-scooters in shared areas. The use of an e-scooter on the footway is banned.
The e-scooters will be available to members of the public with a driving license (including provisional licenses), with training provided by operators before first use is permitted. An e-scooter rental journey must start and finish at a designated parking location, which will help to reduce scooters blocking footways and maintain pedestrian access.
E-bike trial
We have also started an e-bike trial, working with Forest and Lime to deliver rental e-bike services across the borough. This trial has allowed us to expand the parking network and expand both scooter and bike services across the borough.
The trial differs slightly from the e-scooter model, as parking is permitted outside of bays, but users must park considerately and not obstructively. Operators must deploy bikes only to the marked bays. Bikes that are parked obstructively are required to be relocated by operators, and we have actively removed obstructive or nuisance bikes throughout the trial.
We are participating in these trials because we need as many people as possible to switch to sustainable means of transport, in order to reach our goal of becoming carbon neutral (having no impact on global warming) by 2030. We also hope that an additional travel option for residents and visitors will help people to social distance and aid the ongoing recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The schemes will also provide a network to complement existing public transport provision across the borough and reduce congestion and pollution on our roads.
Report a problem
Each operator is responsible for their vehicles, including insurance for users, making sure their scooters are fit to ride and collecting any abandoned vehicles. If you experience any issues, contact the relevant operator.
Lime - bike and scooter
- phone 0800 808 5223
- email support@li.me
- to report bad parking email london-parking@li.me
Voi - scooter only
- phone 0808 501 5724
- email support@voi.com or report.voi.com
Human Forest - bike only
- email cs@humanforest.co.uk
Page last updated: 11 July 2024
