Dockless e-bike operators in the City of London could face penalties of up to £10,000 if they repeatedly fail to meet parking and enforcement standards under a new agreement approved by the Corporation.
The City of London Corporation has agreed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with operators Lime, Forest and Voi, introducing what officials described as “stronger controls and accountability” for bikes operating across the Square Mile.
The updated agreement, approved by the Corporation’s Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee on 21 July, expands an existing arrangement with Lime and Forest and formally includes Voi for the first time.
Under the revised MoU, operators will be required to comply with stricter rules on parking management, enforcement action, affordability measures and data sharing.
The agreement will also increase the financial contributions paid by operators to the Corporation, with the new arrangements expected to generate around £455,360 annually.
One of the most significant changes is the introduction of a penalty regime for operators that fail to meet agreed standards.
Fines of up to £10,000 could be imposed where operators repeatedly breach requirements. One example highlighted in council documents involves operators failing to issue enough warnings or penalties to users who park bikes incorrectly. Where there is a gap of 25 % or more between expected and actual enforcement action, operators could eventually become liable for financial penalties.
The move comes amid a sharp rise in dockless bike usage across the Square Mile. Corporation figures show the number of dockless bikes counted during summer 2025 was five times higher than two years earlier.
While the growth has supported active travel, it has also led to complaints about poorly parked bikes and obstructions on streets and pavements.
During the meeting, councillors also called for operators to do more to promote responsible riding.
Deputy Chair of the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee, Common Cllr Jacqui Webster, suggested operators should support public awareness campaigns around safety and courtesy.
She said: “We are very good in this country at running flu jabs, drink aware, smoking campaigns. Why can we not do the same through our dockless bike operators?”
Deputy Tom Sleigh said improving management of the schemes remained important, but added that increasing numbers of people using e-bikes was a positive development that supported the Corporation’s wider active travel ambitions.
Separate votes to approve the revised MoU and add Voi as an operator were both carried.
The committee also reviewed the results of a Fixed Penalty Notice trial carried out between March and May this year.
Council officers reported 779 cases involving dockless bikes during the trial period. After removing records where it was unclear whether a penalty had been issued, 469 cases remained. Of those, 129 resulted in fixed penalty notices being reported, while 258 bikes were removed within 90 minutes.
Lime recorded the highest number of reports, with 449 incidents and 90 reported penalty notices. Forest recorded 319 reports and 34 notices, while Voi recorded 11 reports and five notices.
Following the trial, the Corporation confirmed fixed penalty notices would continue as part of its ongoing enforcement approach alongside the new operator penalties.
