E-bike operator Forest says it has deployed 900 hire bikes in Ealing as part of a phased borough-wide launch, with penalties to be introduced for users caught riding carelessly or breaking its rules.
The company said bikes were currently available in West Ealing, North Acton and Southall, with other areas to follow. Journeys starting in Ealing will cost £1 until the end of the month (August 2026).
Under its Forest Force initiative, staff will record incidents involving the company’s riders. Those caught breaking the rules could receive a warning, a £20 penalty, a two-week suspension or a permanent ban from using Forest bikes.
Neither the locations nor operating times for the team have been decided. Forest said staff would be deployed during the busiest periods once the initiative begins and added it would be working closely with Ealing Council and Ealing Cycling to identify areas.
Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, said: “We are delighted to be expanding into Ealing, which marks another important milestone in Forest’s growth. We are looking forward to working with Ealing Council to deliver a service that not only residents can rely on, but works for everyone in the local community.”
However, Ealing Council stressed that it had not helped develop Forest Force and that no locations had yet been selected for the initiative.
A council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “Forest informed us about the Forest Force initiative as part of the information provided during the review of our e-bike memoranda of understanding (MoUs). The council has not been directly involved in developing the initiative.
“No locations in the borough of Ealing have been identified for deployment at this stage. We will review available data and any resident concerns and work with Forest to identify priority locations where the initiative could have the greatest impact.
“Forest has advised us that staff involved in the scheme will record incidents involving Forest riders and apply penalties through its existing four-stage enforcement process, ranging from a warning through to a permanent ban from the service.”
