E-bike operator pulls out of city over vandalism

Lime's electric bike hire programme launched in the city in 2023

The operator of an electric bike scheme in Derby has withdrawn its cycles due to "persistent issues with vandalism and antisocial behaviour".

A total of 130 e-bikes were available as part of the pay-as-you-go hire programme, which was launched in the city by Lime in 2023.

However a company spokesperson said persistent vandalism and antisocial behaviour had "resulted in low usage and unsustainably high costs".

Derby City Council said it regretted the move but was optimistic an electric bike hire scheme could thrive in the city "under the right conditions".

It is the second time an e-bike scheme has been withdrawn in Derby.

A project, launched in 2018, managed by Hourbike, was scrapped a year later after vandalism left more than two-thirds of the fleet unusable.

The Lime bikes were available across the city and had a range of 64km (40 miles) with swappable and replaceable batteries that were monitored by the company.

'Exhausted all options'

A Lime spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, Lime had to withdraw its e-bike service from Derby last week.

"We made this difficult decision due to persistent issues with vandalism and antisocial behaviour, which resulted in low usage and unsustainably high costs.

"The decision follows extensive work with the Derbyshire Police over the last year to try and tackle these issues, but unfortunately they have persisted.

"We regret any disruption this may cause, but sadly we have exhausted all options and can no longer operate here."

The city council said it regretted that Lime had chosen to end the scheme.

A council spokesperson said: "While the scheme faced certain operational challenges, we remain optimistic that a well-managed e-bike initiative can thrive in our city under the right conditions.

"It's important to note that this scheme was entirely funded by Lime, with no financial burden on the council."

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