London councils seize more than 3,300 dockless e-bikes as licensing overhaul approaches

Seizures accelerate across the capital

London local authorities have seized at least 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned rental e-bikes during 2026, according to figures obtained by the Guardian from authorities across the capital. The total is already 23% higher than the number removed during all of 2025. Lime accounted for more than 2,000 seizures reported by 19 authorities, followed by Forest with 978 and Voi with 103. The figures turn a familiar pavement nuisance into a significant test of urban transport governance.

Dockless rental bikes have become part of London’s everyday transport network. Transport for London estimates that they account for roughly one in ten of the city’s 1.5 million daily cycle journeys. Their rapid adoption offers a relatively inexpensive, low-emission alternative for short trips and connections to public transport, but the same scale magnifies the consequences when bicycles are left across pavements, entrances, roads or designated resident parking spaces.

Accessibility is driving the dispute

Pedestrian and disability organisations say obstructive parking can make streets difficult or unsafe for blind and partially sighted people, wheelchair users, older residents and parents with pushchairs. Borough officials also describe inconsistent enforcement across municipal boundaries. Operators respond that parking infrastructure has failed to keep pace with demand and that overcrowded bays contribute to improper parking. The dispute is therefore about both operator conduct and the amount of street space that councils allocate to the service.

The policy context has changed since Parliament enacted the English Devolution and Community Empowerment framework. Government material says the legislation gives strategic or local transport authorities powers, following secondary regulations, to license shared cycles and e-cycles, obtain operator data and impose conditions designed to address poor parking and antisocial behaviour. In London, Transport for London is expected to become the licensing authority, replacing a patchwork of borough contracts with a capital-wide framework.

What happens next

The immediate enforcement campaign will continue under existing local powers while TfL, boroughs and the Department for Transport develop the secondary rules needed to activate the new licensing system. Key questions include how many parking bays operators and councils must provide, how quickly misplaced bikes must be collected, whether penalties will be uniform and how accessibility standards will be enforced. A workable settlement must preserve a widely used transport option while preventing its business model from transferring parking and safety costs to pedestrians.

The seizure totals provide an unusually concrete baseline against which the coming regime can be judged. If removals and complaints fall after licensing begins, London could offer a model for other English cities managing shared micromobility. If the totals continue to rise, pressure will grow for tighter fleet limits, stronger financial penalties or more restrictive operating zones.