Voi forced out of Ealing after threat to revoke UK-wide accreditation

E-bike operator Voi has been forced to withdraw from Ealing after being threatened with the loss of its country-wide accreditation, City AM understands, ending a months-long dispute with the West London council.

The Swedish firm has agreed to stop operating in the borough after shared transport charity ComoUK warned it could revoke its Bike Share Accreditation if it continued.

According to people familiar with the matter, Ealing Council struggled to remove Voi after choosing rival operators Lime and Forest to run its e-bike scheme earlier this year, and the dispute ultimately involved ComoUK.

Losing its accreditation would have put Voi’s operations elsewhere in Britain at risk, as some local authorities require operators to hold the certification as a condition of their contracts.

A ComoUK spokesperson told City AM: “ComoUK investigated complaints received under our accreditation scheme regarding Voi’s operations in the London Borough of Ealing.

“Voi agreed to cease operations in Ealing by 6 November and remains accredited by ComoUK”, they added.

The decision marks a reversal for Voi, which had previously refused to leave the borough after its agreement with the council expired in July. Voi had continued operating despite Ealing selecting Lime and Forest as its preferred providers, arguing that the council had no legal grounds to exclude it.

Unlike rental e-scooters, dockless e-bikes are not currently subject to a London-wide licensing regime, leaving councils to negotiate individual agreements with operators.

Voi had argued that Ealing’s selection process was unfair because it was not a formal procurement exercise. However, the threat to its accreditation has now prompted the company to withdraw.

A Voi spokesperson said: “We remain disappointed with the circumstances that have led to Voi removing its bikes from Ealing.

“ComoUK, the national charity for shared transport, asked us to cease operating in the borough and said it would revoke our Bike Share Accreditation if we did not.

“We therefore reluctantly decided to withdraw from Ealing to protect our local authority partners and the communities we serve elsewhere,” they added.

London tightens e-bike rules

The dispute has exposed the limits of London’s current approach to regulating rental e-bikes, as operators can move between boroughs governed by different agreements.

Ealing Council confirmed that Voi’s bikes would be removed by Monday 16 November, although the company will continue operating e-scooters in the borough under the capital’s existing trial scheme.

A council spokesperson said ComoUK had approached it following press reports about Voi’s operations.

“We understand CoMoUK subsequently discussed regulatory and accreditation issues with Voi, but the council was not party to those discussions,” the spokesperson said.

Voi has called for a London-wide licensing system, arguing that the current arrangements leave operators facing inconsistent rules and riders with fewer choices.

“The situation in Ealing only reinforces the need for pan-London licensing of shared micromobility, as exists in most other major European cities,” its spokesperson said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has repeatedly called for stronger regulation of the sector, describing the existing system as the “Wild West”.

Ealing Council said it welcomed the consultation as a step towards “much-needed pan-London regulation”.

The proposed changes are not expected to take effect until next spring at the earliest. Voi said it remained willing to meet the council to discuss a return to the borough.