Responding to the growing number of dockless bike-share firms operating in London, Transport for London (TfL) has published a code of practice for operators. The code outlines requirements and recommendations that operators will be expected to follow. Announcing the code, TfL said:
“Dockless cycle hire has potential to make cycling more accessible and attractive for Londoners. While we welcome responsible bike hire initiatives, dockless bike operators need to work with TfL and London boroughs to make sure that schemes do not have a negative impact on other cyclists, road users and pedestrians or result in unlawful highway obstruction.” - road.cc
The TfL code states that:
- bikes must not cause ‘nuisance or obstruction’ and operators will be treated as responsible for the use of any bike they own or manage.
- when clustering of bikes occurs, operators must have the capability to remove and redistribute them.
Operators are asked to:
- maintain their bikes regularly, such that they meet all legal requirements, and where a bike is considered a danger, TfL is asking that it be removed from service within two hours.
- provide cycling advice to users via their mobile apps and to share anonymised data about usage with TfL and local authorities.
- to operate within strict geographic controls.
Read the entire code of practice here:
