Forest (bicycle-sharing system)

Human Forest Limited
Founded2020 (2020)
Area served
London
ProductsDock-less bicycle sharing services
Websiteforest.me

Forest (formerly HumanForest[1]), is an e-bike company based in London, United Kingdom. It operates dockless rental e-bikes across 20 boroughs[2] [3][4] and, with more than 20,000 bicycles, Forest is one of the three main e-bike operators in capital city, competing with Santander Cycles (docked) and Lime.[5]

History

Forest launched as HumanForest in 2020, by Agustin Guilisasti (CEO of Forest ) and Ignacio Guiterrez Del Pedregal (chair of Forest and CEO of Admoai). They brought on more "co-founders" later, including Caroline Seton to handle regulation and Mike Stewart to build the brand (CMO of Forest).[6]

It was shut down within months after someone was injured due to a faulty e-bike. The company recalled all of the bikes and replaced them, restarting service in 2021.[7]


These services replaced Chinese companies Mobike and Ofo after their insolvencies and removal.[8]

In August 2023, the service was renamed Forest.[1]

Forest has continued to expand, growing from 800 e-bikes in September 2021 to 20,000 e-bikes today with a registered customer base of over 1.5 million.[9][10]

Service

Usage

Users rent Forest bikes through a mobile application which takes payment and offers controls, such as the ability to pause and end rides, as well as report faults and track usage.[11] A GPS system embedded within bikes enforces boundary, speed, and parking restrictions, and serves as an enabler of maintenance and battery replacement for Forest crews.[12]

Human Forest e-bikes in London, 2021

Cost and fees

The service charges riders £1 to unlock their ride, and rewards them with 1 minute for parking in borough designated parking areas.[13][14]

In 2025 they introduced a new model, allowing riders to earn one of three tiers of free riding: one to five minutes, 10 minutes or 30 minutes, depending on the status of the e-bike they choose. Riders who pick bikes in overcrowded bays or those that have been left idle for extended periods are rewarded with more free minutes, incentivising users to book those most in need of moving. [15] (users still need to pay an "unlock fee" for every ride, which is currently £1).

Their Forest Flex subscription model, priced at £6.99 a month, offers riders discounted e-bike journeys up to 30 minutes long.The subscription gives riders access to 10-minute rides for £1 and up to 30 minutes for £1.70. Any additional time is charged at Forest’s standard pay-as-you-go rate of £0.33 per minute.[16]


Forest is ad-supported by partners such as Nutmeg and Whole Foods.[17]

Riders are liable for any accidents caused as bike hire does not come with riders insurance.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 Hubbard, Ben (2023-08-02). "HumanForest rebrands to 'Forest' to simplify experience". Zag Daily. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  2. ↑ "Forest e-bikes launch across Ealing in latest deal". 31 July 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "E-bike operator Forest continues rapid London growth, with official launch in Richmond". London TV. 2026-06-03. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  4. ↑ Yuen, Simon (2026-01-02). "Forest secures renewed B Corp certification with improved sustainability performance". Cycling Industry News. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  5. ↑ Lydall, Ross (2026-03-12). "Revealed: The '£3million deal' that encouraged a London borough to ditch Lime bikes". The Standard. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  6. ↑ Woodford, Isabel. "Forest bike co-founder: 'Raising a lot of money just makes learnign more expensive'". Financial Times. Financial Times. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Lomas, Natasha (2020-09-25). "HumanForest suspends London e-bike sharing service, cuts jobs after customer accident". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  8. ↑ "Ofo cycle hire firm pulls out of London". the Guardian. 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  9. ↑ https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/forest/pitches/b6WyPq. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ "HumanForest launches 800 electric bikes in London, UK". Intelligent Transport. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  11. ↑ "Hire an e-bike". sutton.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  12. ↑ "Users of shared mobility company Forest share concerns over safety of bikes". Sifted. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  13. ↑ "Forest - Locations". humanforest.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  14. ↑ "Tfl to add 500 e-bikes to Santander cycle-hire scheme as costs rise". the Guardian. 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  15. ↑ Dattatreya, Adithya (6 November 2025). "Forest launches new pricing model to tackle poor e-bike parking in London". Zag Daily. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Browning, Athena (6 May 2026). "Forest pilots e-bike subscription model amid rising London demand". Zag Daily. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "HumanForest partners with Nutmeg ahead of London launch". micromobilitybiz. 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  18. ↑ "BBC I should have been safe on a pavement". 13 April 2026.

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