Lime UK profits double as rider numbers surge

Lime's UK operations reported a substantial financial uplift in 2025, with profits more than doubling to £4.7 million. This increase, up from £1.7 million in the prior year, coincided with a 31% rise in average monthly users, reaching around 700,000. The company's UK sales also saw a significant increase, growing by a third to £148 million.

Fleet Expansion and User Growth

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The company's UK arm stated that the growth in users and revenue was supported by an expansion of its fleet. Lime added over 4,500 e-bikes and scooters in 2025, bringing its total fleet in the UK to nearly 38,000 vehicles. This expansion contributed to Lime's presence in cities including London, Milton Keynes, and Salford, with recent additions in Oxford and Nottingham.

Operational Footprint and Staffing

Despite the significant increase in operations and revenue, Lime's UK accounts for 2025 indicate a relatively small core staff of 54 employees, an increase from 39 the previous year. This lean staffing model is largely due to the company's reliance on self-employed contractors for the shifting and servicing of its e-bikes and scooters.

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Regulatory Challenges in London

In London, the proliferation of dockless e-bikes has led to regulatory action. A Guardian investigation revealed that London boroughs seized at least 3,000 dockless e-bikes in 2025, with 2,000 of these belonging to Lime. This action reflects growing pressure on hire companies to address issues of street clutter and pavement obstruction caused by parked rental bikes.

Safety and Accessibility Concerns

The rise in e-bike usage has also brought safety and accessibility concerns to the forefront. Charities representing blind residents and individuals with limited mobility have voiced difficulties in navigating areas where rental bikes are parked chaotically on pavements. Additionally, reports have emerged of riders sustaining injuries from defective bikes or from the bikes falling on them, a phenomenon referred to as 'Lime bike leg'. In response to safety criticisms, Lime has begun introducing a new, smaller e-bike model in the UK, with over 1,500 now in operation.

Transport for London estimated in 2024 that dockless e-bikes account for one in ten of the 1.5 million daily cycle journeys in the capital. The company's parent, Neutron Holdings, which is part-owned by Uber, listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange last year with a valuation of $1.7 billion.