E-Bike Safety and the Gig Economy – Call for Evidence

A Call for Insights from Individuals, Organisations and Experts

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking (APPGCW) is launching an inquiry into the growing concerns around e-bike safety in the UK, particularly in the context of dangerous low-quality e-bike conversion kits and gig economy delivery services.

As the use of e-bikes continues to rise, they play an increasingly important role in mobility, supporting a shift toward cleaner, more efficient transport. While e-bike sales have surged across continental Europe, with Germany alone recording over 2.1 million e-bike sales in 2023, uptake in the UK remains comparatively modest, with just 146,000 e-bikes sold last year.

Despite the promise of e-bikes as a green, healthy transport alternative, a series of specific safety concerns now risk undermining this potential. In the UK, the proliferation of low-cost, poor-quality e-bikes and conversion kits, often purchased through unregulated online marketplaces, has been linked to a growing number of battery fires and other safety incidents. It also risks undermining the reputation of the category, exacerbated by a potential public misunderstanding of the difference between quality products available from reputable sources and illegally-modified bikes which operate in law as uninsured, unlicenced motorbikes.

These products are frequently used by gig economy delivery workers, who are under pressure to meet tight deadlines and often lack the financial means to invest in higher-quality, safety-certified equipment. In particular, our inquiry will explore the role of food delivery companies, whether a combination of economic necessity and a business model that pays-per-delivery may have created a market dynamic that puts both riders and the public at risk.

Recent developments, including a ban of all non folding e-bikes from TfL services, risk undermining the UK’s active travel targets. The inquiry will aim to provide practical and implementable recommendations which allows the UK to reap the benefits of more healthy and inclusive active travel.

We are seeking evidence from:

– Individuals with lived experience (e.g. food delivery riders, victims of incidents)

– Industry stakeholders (insurers, manufacturers, retailers, food delivery platforms)

– Fire services and emergency responders

– Transport operators, regulators and local authorities

– Charities, campaigners and advocacy organisations

– Experts in transport, product safety, and urban design

Topics of Interest

We welcome submissions on any aspect of e-bike safety, but we are particularly interested in:

– Use of e-bikes in the gig economy, associated safety pressures and any potential need for further regulation

– Illegal modification of e-bikes (e.g. de-restriction for speed or power)

– Fire risk and product safety concerns linked to poor-quality batteries or conversion kits

– Product labelling and regulations, including how to identify a quality and safe e-bike or conversion kit

– Challenges of enforcement and legal compliance

– Impact of unsafe e-bikes on the wider cycling community and public perception

– Impact of existing e-bike bans on public transport or by landlords and workplaces

– Gaps in training, support and guidance for delivery riders

– The role of online marketplaces and direct-to-consumer imports

– Examples of best practice, existing industry initiatives, and potential solutions

– Views on how government, local authorities, and companies can improve safety

Practicalities

Your submission should:
– Include an introduction to you or your organisation and your reason for submitting evidence
– Be no longer than 2500 words (you may include appendices if needed)

If you’d like your evidence to be anonymous (we may publish your evidence, but not your name or any personal details about you) or confidential (we’ll read your evidence, but we won’t publish it), please make this clear in your submission e-mail.

What will happen to your evidence?

– Your evidence may be published on the internet. It stays public forever. That means that other people will be able to find and read what you send us.
– Your name (or your organisation’s name) will be published with your evidence. You can ask for your evidence to be anonymous.
– The APPGCW doesn’t have to accept your evidence or publish what you send us.
– We’ll read your evidence and we’ll use it to help the APPGCW’s inquiry. For example, the APPGCW might use your name and your evidence in a report.

Submitting your evidence

Please submit your evidence as a single Word, ODT or RTF document (not a PDF), ensuring that it does not exceed 10MB and that it does not contain logos.

Please send your evidence to: coffmana@parliament.uk  by Thursday 15th May 2025.

We at the APPGCW want everyone’s voice to be heard. Please contact us if for any reason you find it difficult to send us your evidence as requested.