Hackney Council is set to award contracts for a dockless cycle hire service, aiming to enhance transport options for residents across the borough. The contract is expected to commence in October 2025.
The decision was scheduled for discussion at the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee meeting on Monday, 7 July 2025, according to the Agenda frontsheet.
The Hackney Council intends to appoint Supplier A and Supplier B to operate the service, according to the CHE S541 Dockless Cycle Hire CPIC Contract Award Report. The council aims to improve transport options for residents, noting that Hackney residents are among the highest users of shared mobility services in London.
To encourage wider adoption, Hackney residents will be able to travel to and from any address in the borough for £1.75, the same as a bus fare, and this price will be fixed throughout the contract term.
The new contract will address several key issues, including:
- Parking of the cycles
- Affordability for users
- Wider adoption of the scheme
- Safety of users
- Customer service
- Environmental impacts
- Social value
To prevent obstruction of public spaces, officers will have the resources and data access to take a much more stringent and involved management of all aspects of the scheme including parking.
The specification of the Service includes multiple mechanisms to manage the safety of the Service to service users and other road users including resource for a significant cycle training budget.
The specification of this Service directly aims to increase the uptake of the Service further by private car users. Commitments include:
- Use of 100% zero emission vehicles for the deployment, redistribution and any operational processes.
- Use of 100% renewable energy to power all aspects of the operation.
The provider will be required to provide the local authority with information on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as service utilisation, safeguarding, and staffing retention. Monitoring will occur quarterly, with final KPIs to be agreed upon in contract mobilisation in partnership with the successful provider. See the table of KPIs here.
