London’s Forest e-bike subscription scheme sees ridership rocket fivefold
London e-bike operator Forest has reported a fivefold surge in users signing up to its subscription service, Forest Flex, with the platform now clocking more than 10,000 rides every single day across the capital.
The scheme allows members to pay a recurring fee for unlimited or bundled access to the firm’s fleet of pedal-assist bikes, rather than paying per trip, and the company says the sharp uptake reflects a broader shift among urban commuters towards treating e-bike access as a monthly utility bill rather than an occasional convenience.
Forest has not disclosed exact subscriber numbers alongside the percentage rise, but the operator points to the subscription tier as now representing a significant share of its overall usage, suggesting riders are increasingly choosing predictable monthly costs over ad-hoc unlocking fees.
For On Track readers, this growth is another sign that shared e-bikes are becoming a genuine alternative to car journeys and public transport for short urban hops, not just a novelty for tourists. It also hints at where investment in e-bike infrastructure and battery-swap networks may head next, as operators chase loyal, high-frequency riders rather than one-off users.
Whether this subscription model spreads to other UK cities, and whether it eventually feeds into more serious cycling habits such as commuting by road bike or gravel bike, remains to be seen. But with daily ride numbers climbing so steeply, London’s experiment with e-bike subscriptions looks set to be closely watched by rivals across the sharing economy.
More from e-bikes on On Track Magazine.
Reported from an announcement by Cycling Industry News. Read the original.
