Hundreds of Lime e-bikes have been dumped in rivers and canals since hire schemes were introduced across England, raising concerns about pollution and flooding. The Canal and River Trust said it was a national problem and was having to spend thousands of pounds retrieving the bikes from waterways. Nottingham was a particular hotspot, with eight or nine Lime bikes pulled from the canal each week. The charity said the number of Lime bikes being dumped nationally “could be into the thousands”.
The Environment Agency said the disposal of electric bikes or other waste into rivers can cause environmental damage, affect water quality, and harm aquatic life. Lime said it was “the largest provider of shared electric vehicles in the world” and claimed to provide a “sustainable” mode of transport by replacing car journeys. The company said it had engaged in ongoing conversations with the Environment Agency and Canal and River Trust and was eager to finalize a collaborative plan to address these issues.
Lime bikes do not need to be physically locked in place at parking locations, which makes it easier to steal them. The bikes do have a pedal-locking mechanism, but this can be “hacked” so that people can ride them without paying. The consensus is that Lime bikes are being dumped in water by people who steal them, rather than paying customers.
The Canal and River Trust, which manages waterways in England and Wales, said it was a problem wherever Lime had hire bikes. Most of the Lime bikes are concentrated around London, but there are also schemes in Greater Manchester, Nottingham, and Milton Keynes. Lime previously ran a hire bike scheme in Derby but pulled out due to what it described as “persistent issues with vandalism and antisocial behavior”.
Lime says anyone who sees a submerged bike can report the location, and it will “recover it as soon as possible”. The company claims to promptly collect obstructive or misparked bikes reported to them via the ‘report bad parking’ function in their app within a matter of hours. To improve response time, Lime has significantly increased its on-street team by more than double in Nottingham.
The deliberate dumping of bikes was “totally unacceptable” according to Lime, as it harms the environment and undermines their mission to create sustainable urban transport. Lime is committed to working with the local community, Environment Agency, and the Canal and River Trust to stop this behavior.
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