Richmond's shared OurBike cargo fleet is to grow from 10 to 15 bikes in 2027, with adapted bikes considered for North Barnes. A Windham Road bay will move.
Richmond’s shared cargo bike fleet is to grow from 10 bikes to 15 in 2027. The council is also looking at adding adapted bikes for older and disabled residents, starting with North Barnes.
The plans were in the council’s annual cargo bike review, which its Transport and Air Quality Committee approved on Monday 9 November.
The committee agreed to:
- expand the OurBike shared scheme, including non-standard cycles and mobility scooter-style bikes
- keep the Try Before You Bike hire scheme going once the current offer is used up
- hold another Cargo Bike Fair in 2027
- improve quiet back-street routes for cargo bike riders
It also handed officers the decision on whether 11 trial cargo bike parking bays become permanent.
How the shared bikes are used
The council has run the OurBike scheme since May 2022. Residents and businesses book one of 10 shared cargo bikes parked around the borough.
The review’s appendix gives these figures:
| OurBike in Richmond | Figure |
|---|---|
| Bookings since May 2022 (to September 2026) | 1,734 |
| People who have booked | 506 |
| Distance ridden | 9,828km |
| Bookings, September 2025 to August 2026 | 528 |
| People booking in that year | 229 |
| People who have booked more than once | 89 |
Summer 2026 bookings were up 17% on summer 2025. User numbers rose 18% and distance ridden 26%. Bookings on business accounts doubled over the year.
Adapted bikes for North Barnes
OurBike now allows mobility scooter-style bikes in its fleet. The council says it is exploring adapted cycles for the areas that would benefit most as part of the five-bike expansion.
The report names North Barnes. It says the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motor traffic has made it harder for some residents with limited mobility to reach shops and services across the river.
Earlier this year the council also put in its first cargo bike hangar, in Barnes. It holds two cargo bikes used by local charities.
Try before you buy
The council’s Try Before You Bike scheme, run by PedalUK, lets people who live, work or study in the borough hire a pedal, electric or cargo bike, with the option to buy it at the end. Since 2020 it has supplied 274 bikes, 76 of them cargo bikes. There are 34 cargo bikes on hire now.
Of hires that have ended, 31% of people bought the bike. Another 22% returned it after finding a different bike. For cargo bikes, 58% went on to own one.
PedalUK has told boroughs the scheme no longer pays for itself from hire and sales. It wants a service fee of £8,000 a year from each borough from 2027/28. The report says officers are still deciding whether that is good value.
The Windham Road bay
Between September 2024 and June 2026 the council put in 11 cargo bike parking bays near primary schools, nurseries, playgrounds and shopping parades. They were installed under an experimental traffic order.
The report says 10 of the 11 have caused no concerns. The bay in Windham Road, North Richmond, drew a formal complaint. The complaint cited lack of use, misuse, poor siting next to the nursery, the loss of scarce parking space and a lack of transparency.
Officers’ surveys found occasional use and limited demand. They also found changes to the nursery’s drop-off and pick-up arrangements meant the bay is no longer in the best place. Officers propose moving it closer to the main entrance and the playground next to it, while trying to limit the loss of other parking. More bays are planned in 2026/27.
Who pays
The council spends about £30,000 a year supporting cargo bikes, the report says. That comes from existing budgets, TfL grants and sponsorship where possible. The council describes the borough as “the cargo bike capital of London” for take-up and council support.
What it means for you
If you want to try a cargo bike before buying one, the council’s cargo bike page links to OurBike and Try Before You Bike. Five more shared bikes are due in 2027, but the council has not said where they will go.
If you ride a cargo bike and know a dropped kerb, bollard or barrier that blocks a quiet route, the council has a list of such spots from riders and is choosing which to fix. It aims to start the work in early 2027, subject to feasibility and funding.
The second Cargo Bike Fair was held in September, as we reported at the time. The 2027 fair now has the committee’s approval, but no date yet.
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