Lime invests nearly £1m in e-bike parking across London to help meet growing demand for rental e-bikes

Lime has today announced it has so far awarded nearly £1m to nine London boroughs to support the creation and improvement of nearly 600 e-bike parking bays across the capital.

The new bays are part of Lime’s efforts to work with boroughs to tackle overcrowding of existing bays and poor parking, as rental e-bike popularity continues to grow. Cycling in London has reached record levels over recent years, driving demand for more places to park. Data from Transport for London shows that around 1.5 million cycling journeys are now made every day in the capital, with one in ten taken on a shared e-bike.

As London’s longest-serving shared e-bike operator, Lime has helped fund over 3,400 bays across the capital, more than any other provider, with the Parking Fund adding to that total. All bays delivered through Lime’s Fund can be accessed and used by all rental e-bike operators in the capital to help drive industry-wide parking improvements.

The parking bays were designed and built locally by each council. The funding covers the planning and the implementation of both new and expanded parking bays. Most boroughs have so far received funding for the design and planning of their schemes, with further payments released as bays are built.

The nine boroughs that received funding include Greenwich, Lambeth, and Hackney. Once all first-round schemes are complete, Lime’s total investment through Lime’s London Parking Fund and its wider parking investment in 2026 will reach around £1.5m.

Lime is also announcing that a further £1m is now available to London boroughs, with the next round of Lime’s London Parking Fund now open until October 22. Boroughs can apply for funding to deliver local schemes that improve parking and help streets work better for everyone.

Recent research conducted by Opinium for Lime also highlights growing demand for better parking infrastructure. A survey of 1,000 Londoners found that:

• One in five (21%) Londoners say they would be more likely to use shared e-bikes if safer parking was available at their destination
• Two in three (65%) support or are open to more e-bike parking bays in the area where they live. This rises sharply to 85% among 18 to 34 year olds

About Lime’s London Parking Fund

The London Parking Infrastructure Fund was established as part of Lime’s London Action Plan commitments. It is a £5m commitment within Lime’s wider £20m investment committed through the Action Plan, supporting London boroughs with the planning and implementation costs of new and expanded shared micromobility parking bays.

The fund is administered independently by Steer, with London boroughs applying for funding to deliver schemes locally and create new opportunities to expand cycling infrastructure in their communities.

Lime’s Deputy Regional Head of Government Relations, Alice Pleasant, said:

“More people than ever are choosing shared e-bikes to get around London. That’s bringing clear benefits, but it also means we need to work with our borough partners to cater for the increased parking demand.

“Our partner boroughs are leading the way by putting the right infrastructure in place to make sure shared e-bikes work for all road users. We’re proud to be playing our part through Lime’s £5m London Parking Fund, and it’s hugely encouraging to see how strong the uptake for this funding has been from councils. With the next round now open, we’re encouraging councils to take advantage of the fund and submit their applications. 

“We know that when there are clear, designated places to park, people use them, and streets feel more organised. It also gives more people the confidence to choose cycling, which will help support London’s wider transport and environmental goals.”

Steer’s Head of New Mobility, Matthew Clark, said:

“As demand for shared e-bikes continues to grow across London, improving the provision of parking bays is vital to ensure that users are easily able to locate a bike at the start of their trip and find a safe parking bay at the end of their trip. As we move towards a pan-London approach to shared e-bike operations, the parking bays boroughs implement now will help to prepare for a more consistent, safer and sustainable future. The Parking Fund provides an important opportunity to support this transition, and we encourage boroughs to apply.”