As London’s streets glow green with the growing popularity of sustainable transport, we’re thrilled to announce our most significant investment yet in the capital: a £20 million London Action Plan designed to revolutionise e-bike parking, enhance safety and make cycling more accessible for all Londoners.
Why Now? Meeting London’s Growing Demand
More than 4 million Londoners have chosen Lime since our 2018 launch, with an incredible 16 million journeys taken during commuting hours in 2024 alone. Nearly half of Londoners aged 18-34 now use our rental e-bikes weekly, and we saw an 85% increase in total journeys last year.
This surge in demand shows that Londoners are embracing sustainable urban mobility. However, it also means we need to scale up our infrastructure to match this enthusiasm. That’s why we’re launching our most comprehensive city investment plan to date.
Our Five-Point Action Plan
- PARKING INFRASTRUCTURE: A £5M investment in Lime’s parking infrastructure fund to create at least 2,500 more dedicated parking spaces.
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Lime is aiming to work with boroughs to build at least 1,500 additional spaces in the next 6 months.
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This investment is available to be used by boroughs immediately. It follows Lime’s initial £1m investment in 2024 that funded the creation of almost 750 parking spaces across London.
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Lime also hopes to use a portion of the new funds to contribute to the Mayor of London’s 40,000 new bike parking locations set out in his manifesto, as part of its commitment ‘to ensure that dockless e-bike and e-scooter schemes can continue to play an important role in a safe and sustainable transport network.’
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Additionally, Lime has set up a dedicated Private Land Parking Task Force aimed at identifying additional parking spaces in partnership with private landowners, businesses and other organisations.
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- OPERATIONS: Bolstering Lime’s operations with a £13.4M investment, including increasing its on-street team by 60%, taking the team to over 400.
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Lime has hired 100+ new on-street team members, growing Lime’s Parking Patrol team which is responsible for removing and redistributing poorly parked e-bikes from overcrowded parking locations. This expanded team is already in place.
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Lime will increase its Parking Patrol presence at hotspots in the busiest London boroughs at peak periods. Team members will be equipped with 15 cargo bikes enabling them to move excess e-bikes more efficiently, with each cargo bike capable of moving 5 Lime e-bikes at a time.
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The 400 strong on-street operations team will aim to collect or move 4000 bikes per day thanks to additional investments into a series of improved operational processes.
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The operational management team will also increase headcount by 80%.
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- TECH: Tech advancements to improve parking, including an improved AI end-trip photo review to block poor parking in real time.
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This new technology will ensure that e-bikes are parked appropriately in real time by preventing riders from ending their trip if parked obstructively, or in unauthorised areas.
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To date, Lime has retrospectively issued warnings and fines for poorly parked e-bikes.
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Lime plans to announce additional tech advancements later in the year to improve parking further.
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- SAFETY: Lime to fund a £250K safe riding campaign.
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To improve the safety of all London cyclists, Lime will increase its investment in rider education this spring/summer.
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This will focus on deterring illegal behaviour, such as running red lights and riding on pavements.
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Lime recognises this is a complex problem and wants to work with City Hall, TfL, London Councils and other operators to deliver a successful campaign.
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- COMMUNITY: A £250K commitment to improve access to cycling for more Londoners.
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Following an initial £100K contribution in 2024, this major reinvestment in the Share the Joy Fund means Lime will continue to support the London Cycling Campaign’s efforts to encourage more Londoners to travel by bike.
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The fund awards grants to projects that improve cycling accessibility, with previous recipients including London Bike Kitchen, Cycle Sisters and Wheels for Wellbeing.
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Over £45,000 worth of grants were distributed in 2024. Applications for the next funding window will open in February.
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The additional investment into the fund this year will also support the Mayor of London’s goal set out in his Transport Strategy for 80% of all trips in London to be made on foot, by bike or using public transport by 2041.
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Lime will also gather feedback from non-cyclists to improve its service for local communities further, including the installation of clearly signposted, scannable QR codes on wheel covers for the public to report direct feedback quickly and easily.
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Lime also commits to regular and transparent reporting on the plan, providing updates on progress that has been made to tackle parking and overcrowding throughout the year and beyond.
A Word from Our CEO
“Since we launched in 2018, London has embraced Lime’s e-bikes,” says Wayne Ting, Lime CEO. “While demand has surged, infrastructure and our ability to ensure riders always have somewhere to park safely and considerately has not kept pace, leading to parking challenges across our industry.”
“This £20m plan brings together crucial changes across our business that will help improve our service so that all Londoners can get around the city easily and safely.”
Supporting London’s Sustainable Future
The London Cycling Campaign’s Chief Executive, Tom Fyans, welcomes our investment: “Lime bikes are changing the face of cycling in London, bringing joy to a huge and diverse audience new to cycling in London… With this new investment, Lime is helping ensure new riders cycle and park more responsibly.”
This plan represents more than just an investment – it’s our commitment to London’s sustainable future. As we work toward the Mayor’s goal of 80% of trips being made by foot, bike or public transport by 2041, we’re excited to play our part in transforming urban mobility.
Stay tuned for regular updates as we roll out these improvements across London. Together, we’re creating a more sustainable, accessible and efficient city for everyone.
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