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Buy, hire or loan a bike

Find out about the Try Before You Bike scheme which allows you to purchase your hire bike, the Inclusive Cycling Initiative which loans accessible cycles, and Transport for London’s offers on bikes, e-bikes, cargo bikes and e-scooters.

Dockless bikes

'Dockless' refers to the fact that the bikes are not locked to dedicated physical stands (unlike the central London bike sharing schemes) but rather spread across the city. Our scheme has preset designated parking areas where the bikes can be found and must be returned to. To use a bike, download the app and register. The app will tell you to point your phone's camera at the QR code on the bike and it will communicate with the wireless lock to release it. Once you've finished using the bike, return it to a drop-off zone,and 'lock' it using the app. The app includes a map which shows you the bikes near you, so you can find a bicycle with reasonable certainty. Enjoy!

Forest e-bike hire

There are currently 120 Forest e-bikes in Kingston and Sutton boroughs (240 in total). The Forest e-bike fleet currently includes blue "River" bikes which were part of a campaign by Forest to raise awareness for wider environmental issues. This campaign has finished and the bikes will reduce in number as they are repainted with Forest livery. 

Key features

  • users get 10 minutes of FREE e-bike hire daily (the free period resets daily at 11:59pm)
  • It costs £1.00 to unlock the bike
  • It costs £0.29 per minute after the free 10 minute hire period.
  • Minute bundles are available to reduce the cost of journeys
  • Unlock by app or by scanning QR code on the bike in the street (You must register first, see ‘How to use’ section’ below).
  • Users must leave the bike in a designated parking area (Green Bay), viewable on the Forest app, to avoid inconveniencing others.
  • Parking in a designated parking area (Green Bay) rewards users with 2 minutes credit for their next ride.
  • Residents can pick up a bike in one borough and leave it in either Kingston or Sutton boroughs as well as in the neighbouring borough of Merton which has recently invited Forest to operate in its borough.
  • Forest e-bikes are a fully sustainable form of transport. The e-bikes, which are zero emission, are fully electric – with long range swappable batteries – and benefit from initiatives to improve battery life and reduce waste.

How to hire and use Forest e-bikes

Registration and sign-up:

  • Sign up by downloading the app from the App Store or Google Play Store
  • Create an account using your email
  • Complete your registration and add your payment method of choice
  • You will then receive an account activation email to verify your account
  • Read and understand the safety checks guide so you're aware of how to ride safely.

Booking and Unlocking e-bikes

  • Book an e-bike via the app or by scanning QR code on each bike in the street

Returning the e-bike / ending your ride

  • You must end your journey in one of Forest e-bike ‘green bays which are indicated on the app.
  • Forest operates a three strike system for non-compliance: First offence results in an initial warning, second offence means a £15 fine and a third offence means the user is banned from using the service.
  • Abandoning an e-bike outside of the boroughs in which Forest operates (such as Kingston or Sutton) will incur a penalty fine. (NOTE: Geo-fencing technology is used to define the "green bays" and users will see them on the Forest app).
  • Check the app to avoid parking in a No Parking Area. All No Parking Areas are marked in Grey. You are unable to end or pause your ride in these areas.
  • At the end of your ride, simply open the Forest app and slide the icon 'END YOUR RIDE' to the right once you are in an approved zone.
  • You will be asked to take a photo of the eBike and will receive a confirmation message/email that the eBike has been successfully locked. (There is no physical lock on the bikes, simply lock and unlock via the app).

With effect from 23 May 2023, Forest has introduced changes to the scheme to ensure its sustainability by concentrating on the key urban areas of Kingston and Sutton. This allows it to continue to provide a sustainable and accessible service to residents, increasing the density of available e-bikes to users. Less than ⅕ of the current operational zone across both boroughs will be reduced, mostly in less densely-populated areas.

Our Community & Support team can be contacted via the details below:

Answers to further questions about Forest e-bikes can be found on their website.

Abandoned or inconveniently parked hire bikes in Kingston Borough

Please report hire bikes that are abandoned or inconveniently parked to the service operator.

Lime: email Lime customer support or freephone  0800 808 5223

Forest: use the "chat bot" at https://chat.forest.me/ ; the "email us" link at the top of their webpage, Email - cs@humanforest.co.uk, phone: 0208 157 7491 or complete this form 

Santander Cycles, which may be reported through the following channels:

Tier: support@tier.app or phone: 0808 164 9486

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