Forest E-bikes Now Operating All Over Chiswick

Provider returns to Ealing borough after issues over parking resolved

Forest bikes now available by the 94 bus terminal at Acton Green

July 31, 2026

Forest, the dockless e-bike operator, has returned to the London Borough of Ealing, restoring seamless cycling access across Chiswick after months of disruption. The move marks a major expansion for the company, which now operates in 20 boroughs and claims to offer the largest fully continuous e-bike network in the capital.

From 30 July, Forest has deployed 900 bikes across the borough with machines already evident in the W4 area. To encourage uptake, the operator is offering pay-as-you-go rides for £1 for any journey starting in Ealing until the end of August.

For north Chiswick — particularly Bedford Park, Acton Green and the streets around Turnham Green station — Forest’s return is a significant shift. These neighbourhoods sit directly on the Hounslow–Ealing boundary, where Forest had previously been excluded, creating a hard border that left riders unable to end journeys in Ealing and forced large numbers of bikes to accumulate at the borough line. With Forest now reinstated, riders can once again travel freely between Chiswick, Acton and Ealing Broadway without hitting a geofence cut-off.

Forest’s reinstatement also makes it the only dockless e-bike operator offering uninterrupted travel between Ealing and its three neighbouring boroughs: Brent, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham. This is particularly relevant for Chiswick, where daily journeys often cross borough boundaries for work, shopping or transport connections. The company’s 65,000-square-foot warehouse on Hythe Road off Scrubs Lane is expected to support operations and improve bike availability in the area.

Forest plans to extend its Friends of the Forest concession scheme to Ealing residents, offering 50 per cent off pay-as-you-go rides for low-income users, key workers, NHS staff, people with disabilities or carers, students and those aged over 60. The discount brings the price down to £0.17 per minute.

The company is also launching a new initiative, Forest Force, aimed at improving rider behaviour. Dedicated staff will be deployed to junctions and locations known for red-light jumping and pavement riding, with powers to stop and penalise riders who breach the rules. Forest says it will work with Ealing Council and Ealing Cycling to identify priority locations.

Forest’s Head of Policy, Alex Berwin, described the expansion into Ealing as an important milestone, noting that the enlarged network allows more seamless travel across London and supports the company’s ambition to provide convenient, reliable and affordable transport options.

In February 2026, Ealing Council instructed Forest to cease operations in the borough after determining that the company was operating without a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Forest had expanded its geofence into eastern Ealing in August 2025 to meet demand from Hounslow riders after Lime was excluded from that borough. At its peak, Forest had an estimated 450 to 500 bikes in Ealing, many clustered around the borough boundary.

The council’s enforcement report highlighted concerns about mis-parked bikes, lack of data access, and the absence of app-based enforcement directing riders to designated parking bays. Under a new enforcement regime, any operator without an MoU was required to reinstate a geofence excluding the borough, with penalties for non-compliance. Forest complied, leaving Voi as the only operator serving both Hounslow and Ealing — a situation that quickly strained supply and left riders in north Chiswick struggling to find available bikes.

Forest’s return now coincides with the expiry of Ealing’s existing MoUs with Lime and Voi and the council’s consideration of a formal procurement process. The borough has signalled that Forest may be eligible to bid for a new agreement, though any future arrangement will depend on compliance with Ealing’s parking and data-sharing requirements.

Forest’s return does not resolve the wider structural issue: London’s fragmented micromobility landscape, where each borough negotiates its own agreements, continues to produce inconsistent coverage and border-zone problems. A pan-London licensing framework is being explored by TfL and boroughs but is not expected before spring 2027.