Under-fire Lime bikes are not fit for purpose in London’s dockless electric bike scheme, according to the boss of a rival firm.
“I think the bike itself is wrong, it’s too big, too heavy, too prone to fall over by virtue of its original design,” Beryl chief executive Philip Ellis told City AM
It comes amid growing backlash against San Francisco-based Lime, which has expanded rapidly in London in recent years and now runs the majority of the city’s 30,000 rental bikes.
In September, Brent Council threatened to remove all Lime bikes from its pavements should a number of safety concerns not be addressed urgently.
These included “inconsiderate” parking and “abandoned” e-bikes, which can pose a particular hazard for those with visual impairments.
“They’re getting knocked over, they’re getting in the way, they’re impeding people and that is the safety concern,” Ellis said.
Lime’s electric bike was inspired by elements of a design produced by Jump, a business Lime acquired from Uber in 2020.
Ellis added Lime, which is challenged only be competitor Forest in London following the exit of Tier and Dott, had gone “beyond the number of bikes they should have been able to deploy in the capital” and risked damaging the reputation of the industry.
In an interview with City AM in June, the chief executive of Swedish e-bike start-up Voi claimed Lime had “taken shortcuts” to the benefit of “scaling and making money.”
A spokesperson for Lime said: “We design our e-bikes to be sturdy, given they are meant for regular shared use and need to withstand heavy ridership.
“The current generation of Lime e-bike in London was designed by our in-house R&D team based on regular feedback from riders, as well as safety and sustainability front-of-mind. The fact our e-bikes are so popular with users proves the result of this design process and hardware is a preferred riding experience.”
The spokesperson added: “Our contracted agreements to deliver shared e-bike and/or e-scooter services with 16 boroughs underscores the trust we’ve built as a preferred operator, and the impact we’ve had in helping Londoners get around sustainably.”
Addressing the situation in Brent, Lime said it had held “constructive meetings” with the council and was “working with them on an action plan regarding the number and location of parking bays required to delvier a safe and convenient service.
“Brent is an important partner for Lime and we are committed to working with them to get this right. Banning bikes won’t help anyone as we work together to meet ambitious active travel targets across London.”