Senior Regional Lead Government Relations

E-bike wars: 'Checkpoint Charlie 2.0' fears as Lime loses out to Forest in London borough. Richmond Council gives Forest exclusive deal after it outbids Lime by £1 million Full screen Keep Watching Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice. Cyclists using Lime e-bikes are again at risk of "Checkpoint Charlie" restrictions after London's biggest hire bike firm lost a contract to operate in a key borough. Richmond council decided on Monday night to award an exclusive contract to rival operator Forest after it outbid Lime by more than £1m to secure the three-year deal. Lime bikes will have "ride through" rights - meaning they can be ridden through the royal borough but not parked or hired within its boundaries. But cyclists already using Lime bikes - which clocked up 1.5m trips in Richmond last year - warned the restriction on choice would inhibit people from cycling across borough boundaries. This could cause problems in Barnes, where many residents - and hundreds of school pupils - use the bikes to ride across Hammersmith bridge, which has been closed to vehicles for seven years, to reach Hammersmith Tube station. One industry insider said the decision would make it harder for Transport for London to eventually introduce a pan-London scheme regulating the use of e-bikes and e-scooters. Richmond's decision has similarities to one by Hounslow council last summer to award Forest - and Voi - a contract that initially excluded Lime bikes from the borough. Lime bikes dominate the London e-bike hire market (pictured: one on Oxford Street) Ross Lydall This resulted in Lime bikes being abandoned on Chiswick bridge and in Shepherd's Bush due to the "geo-fencing" restrictions that meant the bikes could not be pedalled across Hounslow's borough boundaries. Hounslow eventually granted Lime "ride through" rights, and Richmond promised this would be the case once its Forest contract begins this summer. But one industry source told The Standard: "If you can't park in [Richmond] borough there is no benefit to being able to ride through the borough. Everyone is still going to abandon their bikes on the border. "This decision will result in Checkpoint Charlie 2.0. Because there are more trips in and out of Richmond, this will probably be worse [than Hounslow]. It will make it harder for people to cycle in London. "There is absolutely no joined-up thinking. If councils are awarding exclusive contracts by tender, it's like pot luck. It creates a downward spiral and ingrains the political nature of how e-bikes in London operate. "In two or three years, this will all be run by TfL. These decisions are really damaging in the run-up to that. If you create a situation where lots of bikes can't cross borough boundaries, it's going to break a [pan London] scheme before it starts." Lime bikes near the south entrance to Chiswick bridge Lucy North/PA Wire Lime and Forest bikes are currently available in Hammersmith and Fulham and in Wandsworth, both of which share a border with Richmond. Richmond's decision means that only it and Brent have exclusive contracts with a sole e-bike firm. Forest will now be the dominant operator in south-west London, in four neighbouring boroughs - Hounslow, Richmond, Kingston and Sutton. A Forest spokesperson: "We're delighted to be bringing our e-bikes to Richmond, supporting the borough's ambition to expand sustainable travel options for residents. "Shared e-bikes have quickly become part of everyday life across London, and as the capital's homegrown operator, we're proud to play a key role in that transition. "Expanding into Richmond as the sole operator in the borough marks another step in growing our network in south west London, connecting riders across Kingston, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham and Wandsworth." Richmond's transport committee voted overwhelmingly on Monday night to award a sole operator contract to Forest rather than to allow it and Lime to operate alongside each other. Lime has been the sole operator in Richmond since 2021, under a memorandum of understanding arrangement rather than a legally binding contract. Forest increased its charges after securing the Hounslow contract but David Tidley, Richmond council's head of transport strategy, said Richmond would not agree to a contract where there was a "significant risk" of that being repeated. He said that Lime had had provided a "successful" service for several years in Richmond that had been of "particular benefit" to residents living in areas with poor access to public transport. He said: "Clearly having more than one operator potentially provides advantages in terms of the resilience of the service and choice to residents and local competition, in the event, for example, of one operator running into any financial difficulties. "There are also potential advantages in terms of the geographical spread that means that whatever other boroughs are doing around us or elsewhere in London, there is potentially a greater choice as well." But potential disadvantages of having two bike firms were the risk of "double clustering" in busy locations, so there are two rather than one set of bikes, and residents not knowing who to complain to about issues with dockless bikes. A single operator would give greater clarity as to who is responsible for the scheme, Mr Tidley said. "There could be greater incentive for one operator to offer up the borough as being a flagship borough," he said. "It would probably also be easier to monitor usage and performance." Cyclists told the committee that not all Lime riders would switch to Forest, and warned that Lime may seek to gain exclusive operating rights in another borough - with a negative impact on bike users in general. "I think a duopoly is better than a single choice," Paul Barrett said. Helen Edward, a Barnes resident and Tory activist, said Lime bikes had been a "game changer" for many people in Barnes, including school pupils at St Paul's school and young women returning home at night. She urged councillors not to ban Lime bikes from Barnes. "Because they have adopted e-bikes, do not expect them to jump from one brand to another," she said. Sara Gezdari, a former Tory parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park and North Kingston, accused the Lib-Dem controlled council of removing choice from residents. The council tender required bidders to take an "effective approach to minimise hacking" of bikes, to ensure "best in class parking" of the bikes, avoid causing danger or inconvenience to pedestrians and guarantee "responsiveness to complaints". Tim Lennon, of the Richmond Cycling Campaign, said the new contract should put "rocket fuel" into the council to provide more bike parking bays and lead to improved enforcement of safe parking. He also called for better enforcement of safer roads by the Metropolitan police, saying vehicle drivers were to blame for the vast majority of the 94 people - mostly pedestrian or cyclists - who were killed or seriously injured in Richmond last year. Transport committee chairman Alexander Ehmann said the tender process was undertaken to try to deliver "better returns for residents". He said the council would seek an "orderly transition" ahead of Forest's new contract starting this summer.

A new flat-rate option aims to make frequent Lime rides in DC more predictable. Sponsored Listing For many Washingtonians, shared micromobility is part of the daily transportation mix. It fills the gap between Metro stops and front doors, replaces short car trips across downtown, and offers a quick option when a bus is delayed or a train platform is packed. As the cost of transportation continues to shape how people move around the city, Lime is rolling out an updated subscription designed to make frequent riding more predictable and more affordable. A subscription built for frequent riders. At the beginning of this year, Lime launched an upgraded version of its LimePrime pricing model in DC, aimed at making shared micromobility more affordable, particularly for frequent riders. The LimePrime monthly subscription costs $5.99 and offers flat-rate pricing for everyday trips. The goal is simple: give riders who use shared scooters and e-bikes regularly a way to lower per-trip costs and avoid surprises at the end of a ride. Under the new LimePrime in DC, subscribers receive: * Unlimited free unlocks * A discounted flat rate of $1.25 for rides under five minutes * A $2.50 flat rate for any trip up to 20 minutes * Extended 30-minute vehicle reservations * Flat-rate pricing for friends and family on group rides where available For riders who take multiple trips a week, especially those under 20 minutes, the math can add up quickly. How it fits into DC's transportation network. LimePrime is designed to complement LimePass, the company's minute-bundle program. LimePass works well for riders who want to pre-purchase a set number of minutes at a discount. LimePrime takes a different approach by offering unlimited rides at flat-rate pricing under certain time thresholds. That flexibility matters in a city with varied travel patterns. Some riders rely on scooters and bikes daily for commuting. Others use them heavily during certain months, such as the spring and fall when DC weather is mild. A $5.99 monthly subscription allows riders to opt in when it makes sense for their routine. The District's transportation network is extensive, but it does not always cover the first and last mile. Neighborhoods like Brookland, Petworth, Capitol Hill and Navy Yard are well served by transit corridors, yet many residents still face a 10- to 20-minute walk to the nearest rail station. In dense job centers like Downtown, Farragut and NoMa, short cross-town trips can be time-consuming by bus and expensive by car. Shared e-bikes and scooters help fill these gaps, especially for trips under five miles. For frequent riders, however, variable per-minute pricing can make it difficult to predict costs month to month. A flat $2.50 for any ride up to 20 minutes provides certainty. A rider commuting from Columbia Heights to Dupont Circle, or from Eastern Market to Union Station, knows in advance what the trip will cost as long as it stays within that window. The $1.25 rate for trips under five minutes also reflects a common pattern in DC: short hops that replace a rideshare or car trip. A quick ride from Metro Center to CityCenterDC, from Judiciary Square to Gallery Place, or from a bus stop to an office building can now be priced more like a transit transfer than a standalone ride. Washington has added bike lanes, protected infrastructure and bus-priority corridors in recent years. In practice, many residents are multimodal. A commuter might take Metrorail into the city, use a Lime e-bike to reach an office and return home via bus. A resident might bike to a grocery store and then use a scooter to meet friends in another neighborhood. Subscription pricing can make that flexibility more viable. Why affordability matters in transportation. Affordability has become a defining issue across the country, as households grapple with rising costs for essentials like housing, food, childcare and health care. In that environment, even small, everyday expenses are under greater scrutiny, prompting people to look for options that offer clearer pricing and better overall value. Lime's leadership frames the LimePrime update as part of a broader push to lower cost barriers. "These days it feels like the costs of everyday items only ever go up, and consumers need a break," said Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime. "That's why we're excited to launch an upgrade to LimePrime, lowering costs for riders who use shared micromobility regularly. Affordability is central to our mission because it makes it easier for people to choose sustainable travel over driving. Through LimePrime, we're rewarding riders who make this choice, providing relief on everyday costs." GGWash is sharing this article through an advertising agreement; the content is funded and approved by the advertiser. Advertising is one way Greater Greater Washington is able to maintain its platform free of charge to readers. GGWash offer this and other advertising options to organizations operating in the greater Washington region.

Lime launches Hero program in Nashville to help The Store fight food insecurity one ride at a time. Posted 1 hour and 28 minutes ago NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - Lime is partnering with The Store, a free nonprofit grocery store in Nashville, to help people battling food insecurity - and it starts with rounding up a scooter fare. Through the new Lime Hero program, riders in Nashville can opt in to round up the cost of each trip, with the proceeds going directly to The Store's mission of providing free groceries to those in need. Emily Salazar, Director of Social Impact at Lime, spoke about how the program works for Nashville riders, why Lime chose The Store as its partner, and what impact the company hopes it will have on the community. Brittney Brown, Director of Mission Advancement at The Store, also spoke about how donations from the Lime Hero program will support the organization's work, what sets The Store apart from other food assistance programs in Nashville, and what she wants Nashville residents to know about getting involved. Watch the video above to hear Brown explain the difference this program can make for families in the Nashville area. Want to know more about how the Lime Hero program works - and how your next scooter ride could help feed a Nashville family? Watch the full interview in the video above. Have a story about food insecurity in your community? We want to hear from you. Reach out to [email protected] This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. The Jefferson Street Sound Museum is a great little gem in North Nashville. The founder and curator turned his home into a museum to keep the legacy of historic Jefferson street alive. Now, it's been named a stop on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Aaron Cantrell takes us inside. - Lelan Statom