'London needs charter for delivery e-bike riders'

"Newham Council wants the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, to develop a "food delivery charter" that companies would have to sign up to. This would compel them to provide riders with guidance and help to ensure their bikes are legally compliant and roadworthy. Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat say they require their riders to use roadworthy and legal vehicles, and they would welcome the chance to work more closely with London's fire and transport authorities. The mayor said he was considering extending current guidance."

"E-bike and e-scooter fires typically happen when unsafe batteries are damaged or left on charge for too long. Newham Council said its proposed charter was needed due to the "rapidly growing number" of these fires in London, some of which have been fatal. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it had responded to 181 e-bike and e-scooter fires this year, as of 29 October. A spokesperson said six of those were in Newham, which had "consistently been among the boroughs that has recorded the most number of fires over the last few years"."

"In its recent report, Newham Council said the borough had "a high concentration of food-delivery riders" and that a growing number of them were using e-bikes, some of which were thought to have been illegally modified. The report follows a two-year investigation into e-bike battery fire safety carried out in the east London borough involving working with food delivery riders and tenants of shared homes. According to the LFB, many such fires involve incompatible chargers, modifications, or counterfeit products which were supplied online by rogue sellers."

Newham Council is calling on food delivery companies to warn riders about the dangers of illegal e-bikes and to sign a food delivery charter requiring guidance and checks. The charter would compel firms to provide riders with guidance and help ensure bikes are legally compliant and roadworthy. Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat say they require roadworthy, legal vehicles and would welcome closer work with fire and transport authorities. The London Fire Brigade reported 181 e-bike and e-scooter fires this year to 29 October, with six in Newham. Many fires involve incompatible chargers, modifications or counterfeit products supplied online.

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