London is exploring the implementation of a single, integrated system to manage dockless e-bikes and e-scooters as the next phase of London’s e-scooter trials gets underway today.
“We are working with the operators, London Councils and London Boroughs to explore the design of one coordinated future scheme to manage dockless e-bikes and e-scooters in London, increasing the quality and sustainability of services, while improving parking facilities,” said a Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson.
This comes as Dott, Lime and Voi today launch the second phase of the rental e-scooter trial in the capital.
They were selected earlier this summer following a competitive procurement process, where their ability to meet strict safety requirements and high operating standards was assessed.
This next phase will look to gather more data to inform policy and trial new innovations such as testing AI to improve parking compliance, as well as investigating pavement riding detection tech and audible vehicle alerts.
Currently running in ten boroughs with more than 600 parking bays, the trial will be expanded to include the south of Lambeth with around 190 new parking bays later this year.
Jack Samler, Regional General Manager of Voi UK, France and Ireland, told Zag: “As the largest e-scooter operator in the UK, we are looking forward to bringing our expertise from cities across the UK to London as part of driving shared e-scooter uptake in the capital. Our e-scooters are congestion busting, with a third of our UK riders using them instead of cars, and they help communities to tackle air pollution.
“We will work closely with TfL on factors to make the London trials more successful over the coming months, including improving parking availability and encouraging more boroughs to participate.”
Dott e-bikes exit London
This weekend, Dott announced that it has removed all its 2,500 e-bikes from London blaming a lack of regulation for hire bikes.
The operator said the failure to regulate e-bikes in a similar way to e-scooters made no sense and was bad for business and those who hired the bikes.
“We no longer operate e-bikes in London,” a Dott spokesperson told Zag. “This is because it was not possible for us to run a financially sustainable, shared e-bike service under the current market conditions in London. High fees and varied regulations between boroughs led to an inconsistent experience for our riders, and a complex operation to run.
“We remain committed to providing environmentally friendly travel, helping to reduce car use in cities. And we would welcome discussions about re-introducing our service should consistent regulations to shared e-bikes be applied across London in the future.”
