Food Couriers using Electric Mopeds/Motorbikes

[highway]

I live and work in London. Job involves travelling all over town. For years now, there are a growing number of food couriers using obvious electric motorbikes to deliver food.
Often they wear motorbike crash helmets. Often face coverings. The bikes are either home brew modified mountain bikes, with batteries strapped all over the frame and wires visible or, more often, dedicated electric mopeds. The pedals seem mostly for show. Easy to see they are throttle operated based on the speed and lack of effort.
Locally, they use foot/cycle paths as cut through. When challenged they claim they are on bikes and it’s legal. Usually a box on the mat indicating the name of the food delivery firm they are working for.
There seems absolutely no interest in them from police, aside from intermittent localised ‘crack downs’.
Further research indicates the following (via search engine)

Police forces face numerous demands on their time and resources, including responding to emergencies, investigating crimes, and maintaining public order.
Dealing with every instance of illegal e-bike use, especially in busy urban areas, can be a significant drain on resources.
2. Complexity of E-bike Regulations:
E-bike laws in the UK can be complex, with different rules for different types of electric bikes.
A 250-watt motor is the legal limit for an electric bike, and any motor exceeding that power output is considered a motorcycle or moped, requiring registration, insurance, and a license.
Many e-bikes used by delivery riders are illegally modified, exceeding the legal power output or speed limitations.
It can be challenging for officers to quickly assess whether an e-bike is legal, especially when riders may be unaware of the regulations.
3. Safety Concerns:
Chasing a speeding e-bike, particularly one that has been modified and may be ridden dangerously, can pose safety risks for both the officer and the public.
Police may prioritize de-escalation and engagement over immediate enforcement, especially if the rider is not posing an immediate threat.
In some cases, police may choose to identify the rider and issue a warning or summons later, rather than engage in a potentially dangerous pursuit.
4. Focus on Education and Engagement:
Some police forces are prioritizing education and engagement with delivery riders, aiming to raise awareness about e-bike laws and encourage compliance.
This approach can be more effective in the long run, as it helps riders understand the rules and encourages them to use legal and safe e-bikes.
5. Action by Delivery Companies:
Some delivery companies are taking steps to address the issue, such as requiring riders to use legal and roadworthy e-bikes and offering discounts on approved e-bikes.
However, there is a need for greater responsibility from delivery companies to ensure riders are using legal and safe e-bikes.
In summary, police forces are not always able to deal with every instance of illegal e-bike use by food couriers due to a combination of factors, including resource limitations, the complexity of the regulations, safety concerns, and the prioritization of education and engagement over immediate enforcement in some cases.

I’d have thought legislation to stop and seize would have been easy enough to enact? Anyone else concerned about the issue?

[Cold]

highway said:

I d have thought legislation to stop and seize would have been easy enough to enact? Anyone else concerned about the issue?

Not at all, no. I'd suggest they are the ideal mode of transport for the type of deliveries they do.

[eharding]

I'd suggest this thread should be seized and deported to Speed, Plod & the Law.

[Short Grain]

Cold said:

Not at all, no. I'd suggest they are the ideal mode of transport for the type of deliveries they do.

Probably quicker than a car, nobody wants a cold kebab!

[richhead]

Most of the problem is lazy people ordering food, if they didnt there wouldnt be a need for the riders.

[InitialDave]

highway said:

I d have thought legislation to stop and seize would have been easy enough to enact? Anyone else concerned about the issue?

Police in Leicester are actively doing this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c204k7wv2l0o

That's from a few months back, but it's ongoing.

[wc98]

richhead said:

Most of the problem is lazy people ordering food, if they didnt there wouldnt be a need for the riders.

This. Considering the direction the world is going when it comes to personal transport i find the laws around e-bikes/scooters/mono wheels etc stupid. They don't seem to be a problem elsewhere. Typical broad brush UK approach instead of dealing with those causing issues.

[CT05 Nose Cone]

wc98 said:

richhead said:

Most of the problem is lazy people ordering food, if they didnt there wouldnt be a need for the riders.

This. Considering the direction the world is going when it comes to personal transport i find the laws around e-bikes/scooters/mono wheels etc stupid. They don't seem to be a problem elsewhere. Typical broad brush UK approach instead of dealing with those causing issues.

At the moment I think it's just in the US, but nothing sums up modern society like the fact you can use Klarna to pay for Door Dash.

[Bill]

wc98 said:

This. Considering the direction the world is going when it comes to personal transport i find the laws around e-bikes/scooters/mono wheels etc stupid. They don't seem to be a problem elsewhere. Typical broad brush UK approach instead of dealing with those causing issues.

At what point does an ebike become a moped or motorcycle that needs some level of training (CBT), build standards, MOT, registration, insurance etc??

Or are you happy for anyone to ride any old crap as fast as they like?

Technology is way ahead of the legislation as it's suddenly become very easy to make something that looks legal (ie no assistance over 15.5mph) go as quick as you like.

[Spare tyre]

We have thousands of the bike based delivery riders here, most behave most of the time, but there is a percentage that almost seem robotic in getting it done

The ins and outs of e-bikes don’t really concern me as much as are these guys being exploited

We live pretty far out from anywhere that does food, yet we now have a small fleet of these guys on throttle e bikes whizzing along the village pavements upto 40mph


I do agree that a sensible approach needs to be taken to e-bikes, any e-bike I say should now be made legal to accept a throttle to propel it to 14mph (I think that’s the current top assisted speed)

Then a sub category of e-bikes that are throttle controlled upto 30 or maybe 40, BUT have to be licenced / plated


We have some young guys here (14/15) modifying their bikes by presumably eBay / temu

I can’t put a finger on how fast they are, but certainly quicker than 30 as they are overtaking the traffic


If I could Ebike with a throttle to 14mph I’d use a bike a lot more

[Greendubber]

InitialDave said:

highway said:

I d have thought legislation to stop and seize would have been easy enough to enact? Anyone else concerned about the issue?

Police in Leicester are actively doing this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c204k7wv2l0o

That's from a few months back, but it's ongoing.

Lots of forces are.

[frisbee]

I saw one riding a normal non e-bike bike the other day and was so surprised I almost tripped over a curb!

[Spare tyre]

I was in friends car yesterday who had commercial radio on

(I’m now worried I dreamt it as I can’t find it) I’m sure one company said they were doing unlimited deliveries for £5.99 a month

I did find this, but it’s not the too good to be true thing I heard yesterday

https://deliveroo.co.uk/plus?srsltid=AfmBOoqIGe6Zk...




In the winter it’s makes me very sad to see these guys without any lights or even a hi viz draped off the back of their bike

Even when I did a paper round and was a daft 14 year old I’d cobble together a set of lights made from road work flashing beacons and cut up a hi viz jacket for the material and wrap / hang it from the bike

The cops are guess are too busy unless it’s a crackdown and deliveroo just don’t seem to care

I do wonder if they need to provide teams to go around doing spot checks / spot video calls to confirm all is above board / check of equipment

Doubt it’ll make any odds thinking about it since they will just get another knock off account

Side note, a guy in this thread

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

was offering ready to go delivery accounts, you just needed to give him a a cut

[GolfDragon]

Once saw somebody in the overtaking lane of a 50mph dual carriageway riding an e-scooter doing at least 50mph (as in the stand on two wheel scooter as opposed to a Vespa type scooter).

Also seen some home made motor propelled bicycles where a noisy motor has been fixed to the running gear. The police were struggling to keep up in a residential area with a Ford Ranger pickup

[saladdays]

GolfDragon said:

Once saw somebody in the overtaking lane of a 50mph dual carriageway riding an e-scooter doing at least 50mph (as in the stand on two wheel scooter as opposed to a Vespa type scooter).

Like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUzgfR6ytUs

[Drawweight]

Make the fast food place responsible for the legality of the vehicle that they are handing the food over to.

Tricky with the 3rd party apps but couldn’t it be done.

[vaud]

wc98 said:

This. Considering the direction the world is going when it comes to personal transport i find the laws around e-bikes/scooters/mono wheels etc stupid. They don't seem to be a problem elsewhere. Typical broad brush UK approach instead of dealing with those causing issues.

Paris banned publicly rented e-bikes as they were ridden appallingly on roads, pavements, etc

[mikebradford]

The principle of ebikes is great.
However it's our enforcement of rules and lack of infrastructure that creates problems between pedestrians and Ebikes.
If we had appropriate cycle lanes and people used them properly we would all be in a better place.

Unfortunately we currently have these types of people cutting across pavements in front of pedestrians causing issues.
It's not just the delivery people, it's the hooded youths as well.

For me they should licence anything with a motor so it can be checked and enforced.
Would also make legitimate seizure easier.

If they're used for a commercial purpose they should definitely have additional legislation associated with their use.

[Its Just Adz]

We destroy hundreds of them every week at work, all seized by police.

[bitchstewie]

Drawweight said:

Make the fast food place responsible for the legality of the vehicle that they are handing the food over to.

Tricky with the 3rd party apps but couldn t it be done.

I'd be interested what the challenges are that would mean this couldn't be done fairly easily.