Illegally-adapted e-bikes should come with a warning akin to those on cigarette packets about cancer, according to London council chiefs.
The capital’s top transport officials are urging the Government to introduce a wide-ranging crackdown in response to the vast number of cyclists – especially delivery riders – using bikes with dodgy battery-powered conversion kits.
These can be bought online for as little as £300 and some have been found to enable bikes to achieve speeds of up to 70mph.
At least 20,000 people are thought to be working in the food delivery “gig economy” in London, and most use converted mountain bikes that have been fitted with one or more lithium batteries, often bought online from disreputable sellers.
The London Fire Brigade says e-bikes are the fastest-growing fire risk. A total of 143 e-bike fires occurred in London in 2023, causing three deaths and about 60 injuries. Last year Transport for London banned e-bikes from the Tube.
The 33 London boroughs want stronger legal requirements for retailers to inform consumers which bikes and adapted cycles are not legally permitted to be ridden on public roads – and for proof that they will only be ridden on private land.
In a submission to a parliamentary consultation on e-bikes, London Councils added: “This needs to be accompanied by clear communication of the risk of vehicle seizure, penalty points on your licence and fines of up to £300 for non-compliance, similar to the statutory warnings around cigarettes, gambling and financial products.”
Brenda Dacres, the mayor of Lewisham and London Councils’ executive member for transport and environment, said: “Illegally modified e-bikes can be dangerous for both riders and the public.
"This risk grows with poor-quality parts or lithium-ion batteries. This also raises the risk of fire, especially in high-rise buildings. It’s still too easy to buy illegal vehicles and kits online. This includes private e-scooters, off-road bikes, and modification kits that can’t be used on public roads.
“Boroughs do not have adequate powers or resources to deal with this growing problem. Enforcement costs a lot and takes time. It often falls outside our role, so we depend on the police and delivery companies to help. Delivery platforms must be more responsible for the safety, and behaviour of riders using their apps.
“We need to do more to raise public awareness of what is legal and safe, and what isn’t. Stronger consumer protections, better legislation, and tighter quality controls are essential. This issue needs quick teamwork at local, regional, and national levels. We must protect the public and tackle the risks from unsafe and illegal vehicles.”
The councils want national road collision statistics, known as Stats 19, to differentiate between “push” bikes and e-bikes, including whether the e-bike has been illegally modified.
They say that delivery companies should consider providing e-bikes for their riders and incentivise the use of pre-approved, safe and maintained e-bikes, such as the model developed by Port App that Deliveroo riders are encouraged to use.
The Government should introduce a “help to buy scheme” for legal e-bikes which delivery riders can access, the boroughs suggest.
At present, self-employed people - as delivery riders are classed - are excluded from the Cycle to Work scheme.
In their submission, the boroughs said: “Councils have concerns about the implications of the rapid expansion of the gig economy in the capital, especially in relation to road safety.
“In order to improve e-bike safety and tackle the increase in illegal modification as outlined in this inquiry, there is a clear and urgent need for collaboration.
“Delivery companies must take more responsibility for rider safety and behaviour. Critical to this is looking at the way riders are paid.
“Currently, riders are incentivised to complete as many rides as possible, which encourages dangerous behaviour and the modification of bikes to make them faster.
“Many delivery companies are set up as ‘platform’ companies, with riders classed as self-employed so companies are therefore not required to provide health and safety measures.
“Platform companies only take an advisory role in safety standards for riders, not mandating vehicle mode or collision reporting, therefore avoiding any financial implications.
“This means there are no checks and balances in place for the safety of the vehicles used for deliveries, the riders themselves and the impacts on other road users.”
Riders mounting pavements, parking in “unacceptable” locations and congregating in groups as they await orders also poses “significant challenges”.
London Councils added: “Bikes that do not comply with the rules for electrical assisted pedal cycles are classed as motorbikes, meaning they cannot be ridden in cycle lanes and need insurance, number plates, registration, driving licence, helmet and MOT.
“This distinction needs to be made clearer to riders, the public and those enforcing [the rules]. Legal, safe e-bikes need to be made more affordable and accessible. We need to incentivise safe rider behaviour and disincentivise illegal vehicles and dangerous riding.”
In June, a report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking warned of a growing public safety and fire risk caused by the widespread use of unsafe, illegally modified e-bikes, referred to as “fake e-bikes”, purchased through online marketplaces and frequently used in the gig economy.
In January, Islington council prosecuted a trader for importing nearly 1,000 unsafe e-scooters, e-bikes and scooters - many of which were found to be non-compliant with UK product safety standards.
He pleaded guilty to 12 offences relating to product safety and received a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months.
