Voi's Refusal to Quit Ealing Angers Competitors
e-bike hire company operating without agreement with council
Voi no longer has an agreement with the council on operations in the borough
August 27, 2026
Competitors are crying foul as Swedish operator Voi continues to provide e-bikes in Ealing borough despite no longer holding an agreement with the council.
At the end of July, Ealing signed new Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Lime and Forest, but not Voi which previously had a contract to operate in the local authority area. However, the company has not geo-fenced its bikes and they continue to be usable.
Forest has committed to supplying 900 e-bikes, cooperating with enforcement operations, and paying an undisclosed fee for use of designated parking bays. Lime agreed to similar terms.
Voi has been operating in the borough since May 2025 when it signed an agreement with the council to provide 500 e-bikes, including in areas such as Northolt and Greenford which had previously lacked coverage. It was Voi’s first venture into London, having entered the UK market as an e scooter operator in Bristol, Bath and Liverpool. The company withdrew from Liverpool earlier this year but has rapidly expanded in the capital, securing agreements with the City of London, Kensington & Chelsea, Barking & Dagenham, Hounslow, Southwark and Westminster.
The company’s refusal to cease operations contrasts with the reaction of Forest which started to operate on the edges of the borough back in August 2025. The company said it was accommodating riders travelling from neighbouring boroughs such as Hounslow, where it held a formal contract. But Forest had no MoU with Ealing, meaning it was not required to use designated parking bays, share live fleet data or comply with the borough’s enforcement rules. As complaints grew about bikes being left in large numbers on the borough boundary, Ealing instructed Forest to stop operating this February and the company switched on a geofence to prevent further use.
Forest says it was told that Ealing’s existing operator agreements were due to expire and that new MoUs would be signed within months.
Despite this, Voi has continued to operate in Ealing, using parking bays funded by other companies. It is understood that requests from the council to desist have been ignored. Forest, which describes itself as a smaller British-based operator competing with multinational firms, says it needs a level playing field and does not have the resources to launch a legal challenge against a competitor.
Forest’s bikes can be ridden freely into all neighbouring boroughs, creating a continuous operating zone. The company says its riders now have access to the largest continuous operating area of any e-bike provider in the capital, supported by a 65,000-square-foot warehouse on Hythe Road off Scrubs Lane. It has extended its Friends of the Forest concession scheme to Ealing residents, offering 50 per cent off rides for low-income users, key workers, NHS staff, disabled people, carers, students and those aged over 60. A new safety initiative, Forest Force, will deploy staff to monitor high-risk locations and penalise rule-breaking riders.
Voi’s senior leadership has previously criticised the UK’s regulatory environment. Christina Moe Gjerde, the company’s Vice President for Northern Europe, has been reported as saying the UK is “totally over-regulated” and “super restrictive”, arguing that companies cannot invest in new technology without regulatory certainty. She added that Voi could potentially walk away from the UK market altogether.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “The council has followed a process of agreeing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with e-bike operators, in line with a majority of London boroughs.
“Until the Devolution Bill enables local licencing of e-bike schemes, boroughs are continuing with established arrangements, and awaiting the proposed pan-London contract to be operated by TfL.
“The council adopted its e-bike enforcement policy in February 2026 and is taking action in line with this procedure, including issuing fines and sanctions for obstructions of the public highway.
“We cannot comment on live discussions taking place with any operators.”
Voi has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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