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Last September Hackney became the first London borough to introduce a game-changing price cap for Lime bikes, making them as cheap as buses. Now, a second borough in the Big Smoke is making trips on e-bikes less spenny.
Residents and key workers in Southwark will benefit from a new deal that the local council has negotiated with three of the biggest e-bike operators. Twenty-minute trips on Lime, Voi and Forest will set riders back a maximum of £1.75. That’s a serious saving, considering that the same ride currently costs as much as £7 a pop if you’re riding pay-as-you-go.
Southwark Council is also cracking down on pavement parking. The e-bike companies have agreed to fund enforcement and reporting channels for residents, so that e-bikes left on pavements can be removed tout de suite. E-bikes in Southwark will also get less noisy, as the agreement includes a clause on electric bike alarms being turned off at night so they cause less disturbance to locals.
A total of 8.2 million e-bike trips were made in Southwark in 2025, with use in the borough increasing by 356 percent over the last two years.
James McAsh, leader of Southwark Council, said the new agreement would be monitored to ‘make sure the deal works for people in Southwark’. He said: ‘It’s vital that people in our borough benefit from e-bikes and also have protections in place to make sure they are used properly.’
Exactly when Southwark’s new e-bike deal for residents and key workers will come into effect is to be confirmed.
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