London Mayor proposes citywide e-bike licensing framework

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced plans to implement a citywide licensing framework for dockless e-bikes to replace the current patchwork of regulations managed by individual boroughs. The proposed system would grant Transport for London (TfL) the authority to license operators and establish uniform standards for safety, parking, fleet management, and data sharing.

The move follows reports of misuse and abandoned vehicles, such as e-bikes from operators Lime and Forest being left in the Greenwich Tunnel. Despite local bans and penalty charges, users have been riding and abandoning bikes in the tunnel, creating maintenance and accessibility issues. Greenwich Council has previously suggested that failure to address these issues could jeopardize an operator's ability to function within the borough.

The new regulatory framework, enabled by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, aims to end what Khan described as the ‘Wild West’ approach to dockless bikes. TfL intends to use operator data to better integrate e-bikes with public transport and identify where additional parking infrastructure is required.