The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has collected more than £210,000 in fines from rental firms after removing over 2,500 dumped e-bikes from its streets.

The bikes have been removed after ‘causing immediate danger or significant obstruction’, including blocking pavements and road crossings.

Others were found to be left at risk of falling over and posing a risk to passers-by.

The £210,000 in fines has been issued to four operators, Lime, Human Forest, Voi and Bolt, with £179,000 collected since the local authority began enforcement action in January 2025.

Of those bikes removed, 1,200 have been seized this year alone.

The firm to incur the largest total of fees is Lime. Its bill to the council has reached £143,890.70 after 1,624 of its bikes were removed.

‘Rental e-bikes have an important role to play in helping Londoners get around, but that cannot come at the expense of safe, accessible streets’, said the council’s lead member for resident services, planning and enforcement, Cllr Johnny Thalassites.

‘Our officers have done a fantastic job in removing 2,500 e-bikes, and it sends a very clear message – park in a bay, or we’ll take it away. If bikes are dumped across pavements, blocking crossings or creating a danger for residents and road users, we will take action.

‘We also need operators to do their bit by clearing obstructions quickly, covering the cost when we have to intervene, and doing more to encourage considerate rider behaviour.’

The local authority says that all income from fines ‘will be reinvested into the service to support ongoing enforcement activity’.

RBKC was among the first London boroughs to introduce designated parking bays to tackle the issue of abandoned e-bikes, with 128 created in 2023. There are now 245 e-bike spaces in the borough.