Lime bikes and Hounslow – a letter from Cllr Katherine Dunne

Lime bike central – beside St Michael & All Angels Church on the border of Hounslow and Ealing

Why are we beseiged by Lime bikes at our borders?

Until this autumn it was hard to know where the border was betwen the borough of Hounslow and that of Ealing. Now it is very clearly demarcated by a row of Lime bikes, irritating local residents by taking up parking spaces.

A couple of weeks ago I did an interview with Cllr Katherine Dunne, the Cabinet Member responsible for transport policy in Hounslow. She told me quite clearly the decision to stop the electric bikes from working at the borders of the borough was Lime’s, not Hounslow’s.

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That turns out not to be the case. The decision was the Council’s. I saw an email from a Council officer to Lime stating it is ‘our requirement’ that the bikes were powered down at the borders.

READ ALSO: Poor service to e-bike users raises big questions about LB Hounslow’s management of e-bike rentals

There were a couple of other discrepancies in what she told me as well, including whether the Council could reinstate Lime if they wanted to.

She told me they couldn’t, but the contracts with Forest and Voi clearly state they are not exclusive and the Council is still entitled to bring in another contractor if they wish.

Interviewing politicians

A note on how we conduct our journalism – I would just like to make it clear that I don’t submit articles to politicians for their comments pre-publication.

In W4’s reporting of the story they say:

‘Ms Osborne says the interview was conducted over the phone with notes taken and the article was sent to Cllr Dunne with no changes requested’.

What that means is that after I published our interview I sent her a link to the published article, then I emailed her to say I was writing a second piece pointing out discrepancies in some of the things she had said, and she replied:

‘I don’t have any changes to make to anything I told you’.

I then sent her the second published article. Hounslow’s communications team have been quiet on the subject, but Katherine has sent us this letter for publication:

A letter from Cllr Katherine Dunne, Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment & Transport, concerning e-bike provision

Cllr Katherine Dunne 

I want to thank residents and partners for their continued feedback on Hounslow’s e-bike scheme and to clarify some of the points raised in recent coverage.

A new contract

The council previously had what’s called a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Lime. This expired in May 2025. In the run up to this, we introduced a fair and transparent procurement process, in line with our Kerbside Strategy and community feedback. This meant we could move from an informal agreement to a formal, accountable contract model with clearer standards on parking, responsiveness and pricing.

The tender process

Competition is the key to getting better quality and value. Our tender was evaluated 60% on quality and 40% on price (income to the council), with bids received from Lime, Forest and Voi. Because all bidders met strong quality standards, price became a deciding factor.

Better value for residents

Income from the scheme is reinvested into the e-bike scheme (installing parking bays, parking compliance testing, and legal fees), before being used to fund other sustainable transport improvements.

Forest and Voi appointed new providers

Forest and Voi received the two highest scores and were awarded contracts to deliver the e-bike service in the borough. While the new contracts do not include exclusivity clauses, the council took the decision to limit the number of operators to two, ensuring effective management of the public realm, greater service accountability, and affordable pricing for residents. The tender specified that up to two operators would be appointed for the contract.

‘Geofencing’ 

When the new contracts began, the council requested that Lime activate a ‘no go zone’ geofencing around Hounslow to prevent Lime bikes from being left in the borough. The decision on whether to implement this geofencing rests with Lime. They have since removed this restriction and introduced a ‘ride-through’ zone. This allows users to pass through Hounslow when travelling between neighbouring boroughs. Lime users are still not permitted to end trips in Hounslow.

Enforcement

If Lime bikes are left abandoned in our borough, they must be removed by Lime. Hounslow Highways have been tasked with seizing bikes that remain an obstruction to residents and will charge Lime a fee for their retrieval. It is only right that the cost of removal and storage should be passed on to Lime and not the taxpayer.

Number of e-bike journeys

Behaviour change takes time. As the new operators continue to establish their presence across the borough, we expect journey numbers to increase steadily. It’s also worth pointing out that there are seasonal variations in ride numbers.

We want more people to be cycling in Hounslow. Time will tell whether the new lower prices, better parking management, new bike models and stronger service standards lead to an increase in uptake.

Travelling between boroughs

E-bike users can use Voi to travel between Hounslow and Ealing. If travelling between Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham, they can use Forest, whose service area extends across Central and South London. If travelling between Hounslow and Richmond, it is currently necessary to change e-bike operators or transport modes prior to crossing the boundary.

The issue of neighbouring boroughs having different e-bike operators is not unique to Hounslow. This is an issue at many boundaries wherever there is a change in operator. E-bike service areas are very dynamic, with boroughs deciding to review operators at different points.

A London-wide scheme

The patchwork provision of different e-bike operators across London can be confusing and inconvenient to users. As a council, we have campaigned for a city-wide scheme.

That is why we are delighted that the Government’s English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will empower London to do just that. TfL is currently exploring a pan-London model that would give boroughs like ours the chance to opt into a single, London-wide contract, to be put into place once the legislation is enacted.

In the meantime, we’re working with TfL, the Department for Transport and other London boroughs to ensure that current e-bike schemes are well managed, safe and accessible for everyone.

The bigger picture

For all the noise this has generated, I feel we’re losing sight of the bigger picture.

Fundamentally, this is a story about a local council, acting on behalf of its residents, who ran a fair and competitive tender process to ensure better parking enforcement and better value for money.

We want more people to take up cycling in our borough, but we also want people to be able to walk and use wheelchairs and other mobility aids without impediment. We want better value for money, better enforcement from our providers, and better behaviour from those who don’t comply. It’s as simple as that.

Ultimately, we want to replace London’s patchwork provision with a city-wide scheme. It is something we’ve campaigned for as a council, and it is something this Labour Government will deliver.

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