The following motion has been proposed in the name of Caroline Russell AM and will seconded by Benali Hamdache AM for debate at tomorrow's London Assembly
“This Assembly recognises the importance of tackling the risks posed by illegal e-bikes to improve road safety and support the Mayor’s ambition to eliminate death and serious injury from London’s roads.
Low pay and insecure working conditions faced by gig economy workers can put pressure on them to complete as many food deliveries as possible in a day to earn a minimum level of income, creating conditions in which riders may turn to unsafe and illegally modified e-bikes to carry out their work.
The Mayor’s Vision Zero Action Plan 2 proposes tackling illegal e-bikes through roadside stops, seizures and live facial recognition1.
While unsafe and illegally modified e-bikes pose risks to riders and other road users, focusing enforcement on an individual rider risks shifting responsibility away from delivery companies such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo. Seizing riders’ e-bikes can also take away riders means of earning a living and push workers who are already struggling financially into greater insecurity.
Possible’s Hot Wheels report examined the working conditions, road safety risks and transport choices of London’s food delivery riders.2 The report found that 91 per cent of surveyed delivery riders felt threatened by drivers, 85 per cent preferred to travel on low-traffic routes and only 19 per cent earned the London Living Wage. Some riders reported earning as little as £2 an hour.
The June 2025 report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking, Unregulated and Unsafe: The Threat of Illegal E-Bikes, showed how the practices of delivery companies can encourage unsafe e-bike use by pressuring riders to maximise deliveries to earn a minimum income3.
This Assembly believes that responsibility for improving road safety must extend beyond individual riders to include the Government, which has a role in establishing an effective regulatory framework.
Therefore, this Assembly calls on the Mayor to:
• Urge the Government to introduce effective legislation to regulate illegal e-bikes and prevent the sale and use of unsafe vehicles.
• Work with the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure that enforcement against illegal e-bikes is proportionate.
• Work with delivery companies and trade unions to address low pay, delivery targets and rider safety that put pressure on riders to take risks.
• Work with Transport for London and London boroughs to expand cycling routes for delivery riders and other cyclists.
