Londoners rely on e-bikes and scooters as strikes bring capital to standstill
The number of Londoners using cycle and e-scooter hire schemes as well as ride-hailing apps surged on Tuesday after the combination of tube and railway strikes brought the capital to a standstill.
According to Transport for London (TfL) figures, bike hires more than doubled yesterday, going from an average of 27,000 to 67,000 in what was considered the second highest day since the scheme launched in 2010.
Commuters also relied heavily on other micromobility solutions, as the public body’s e-scooter trial in partnership with Lime, Dott and Tier reported a record 10,000 hires.
Lime said e-scooter rides went up by 81 per cent on Tuesday, while the number of first-time riders surged by 184 per cent.
“Yesterday saw the highest ever number of daily Lime e-scooter rides in London,” Alan Clarke, Lime’s senior director of public policy, told City PM
“This is a great example of how Lime helps fill the gaps in public transport, whether on days when tube and rail capacity is reduced, or in areas without good access to the network.”
Lime – which last week told City PM it was expecting a surge in users throughout the week – was not the only e-bike company to profit from the tube’s total shutdown and limited services across the wider railway network.
The latest e-bike company to carve a niche into London’s market, Human Forest yesterday saw a 100 per cent increase in rides.
“We are pleased to be able to keep the city moving and we hope that more people will continue to use HumanForest in the future as a reliable, fun, affordable and environmentally friendly way of getting from a to b,” commented chief executive Agustin Guilisasti.
Ride-hailing apps such as Bolt and Uber were not spared from a surge in demand, as Bolt crashed early on Tuesday due to a boost in demand while Uber reported a 50 per cent increase in customers.
“With more strike action planned on the National Rail network, we will continue to cap the level that prices can surge to throughout the week,” a company spokesperson said.
“We will also keep working hard to ensure that there are enough drivers out on the road to match demand.”