Forest report finds shared e-bikes are helping close London cycling gender gap

London e-bike operator Forest has published its second Women of the Forest report, highlighting the role shared e-bikes are playing in encouraging more women to cycle in the capital.

The report, based on a survey of 5,000 Forest riders, found that 75.9% of female users cycle more since joining the service. Forest said the findings show that shared e-bikes can help overcome access barriers and make cycling a more practical option for everyday journeys.

Before using Forest, 28.3% of women surveyed said they cycled at least once a week, compared with 33.1% of men, while 14.4% of women said they had never cycled at all.

Female Forest riders were also more likely than men to use the service for practical trips. The survey found that 60.2% of women use Forest for commuting and work, 44.6% for social and leisure journeys, and 34.5% for errands and shopping.

Safety and confidence remain barriers

Despite the increase in cycling, Forest said the report points to a continuing confidence gap between women and men riding in London traffic.

Only 30.3% of women said they feel very confident cycling in London traffic, compared with 50.4% of men. One in three female riders said they had felt unsafe because of traffic, while 29.4% reported aggression from other road users and 5.2% reported harassment or unwanted attention while riding.

The most common barriers identified by women were access to a bike (43.2%), not knowing safe routes (33.3%) and concerns about traffic safety (33.2%). Only 19% of women said they had faced no barriers to cycling, compared with 35% of men.

The report also found that parking location is a safety consideration for many women. More than half of women, 56.7%, said they prefer to park as close as possible to the entrance of their destination when it is dark, while 67% of men said parking location makes no difference to them.

Regulation and infrastructure

Forest said the findings point to three priorities for increasing cycling among women in London: safer streets, outreach to women from under-represented communities, and parking locations and design that take women’s safety into account.

The report has been published as London prepares for pan-London regulation of shared e-bikes. Forest said it wants to work with Transport for London, boroughs and other operators to ensure safety, confidence and accessibility are considered as the system develops.

Caroline Seton, co-founder of Forest, said: “It’s been brilliant to see more women choosing to cycle in London, and how shared e-bikes are accelerating that shift. Three-quarters of the women we surveyed say they now cycle more since joining Forest, showing the difference easy access to an e-bike can make.

“Despite this progress, there’s still a gap in how confident women feel cycling. As the capital develops a pan-London approach to regulation, there is an opportunity to ensure the new system addresses the barriers women currently face. By investing in safer streets, better cycling infrastructure and convenient, well-located parking, we can give even more women the confidence to choose cycling.”

Caroline Russell, Chair of the London Transport Committee, said the research was “very timely” as the London Assembly Transport Committee investigates the regulation of dockless hire e-bikes this autumn.

The report was also welcomed by Cycling UK, London Cycling Campaign’s Women’s Network and LSE policy fellow Jenevieve Treadwell, who said the research helped build understanding of what needs to change for more women to feel confident choosing cycling as a mode of transport.

The 2026 Women of the Forest Report is available here.