London needs a ‘food delivery charter’ to tackle fires caused by illegal e-bikes, Newham Council has warned.
The Town Hall is calling on Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan to lead on a charter that asks delivery companies to commit to greater responsibility for rider and vehicle safety.
Labour councillor Amar Virdee, responsible for community safety in Newham, said the call follows “a huge growth in the number of food delivery riders using e-bikes”.
It follows the outcome of a two-year investigation into e-bike battery fire safety carried out with the Newham Community Project charity.
The project involved practical fieldword, training and work with delivery riders and people living in shared homes.
It was prompted by a spate of house fires across London caused by dangerous lithium batteries.
When the unsafe batteries are damaged or left on charge for too long they can overheat, sparking a blaze that is difficult to extinguish. This is an event called ‘thermal runaway’.
Last year, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) responded to 175 e-bike and e-scooter fires - a figure it says is on course to rise to at least 200 this year.
The brigade said it had responded to 181 such fires this year, as of 29 October.
A spokesperson said six of these had been in Newham, which had “consistently been among the boroughs that has recorded the most number of fires over the last few years”.
Cllr Virdee said: “These fires are extremely dangerous and people need to be warned of the dangers.
“The trouble is that these illegal batteries are often a fraction of the price of legal ones.”
The report recommends that Mayor Khan leads a “charter for food delivery riders” similar to one adopted by Greater Manchester Combined Authority in April.
Signed by Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats, the Manchester charter includes a pledge to provide riders with “support and/or guidance to enable them to ensure that their bikes are legally compliant and roadworthy”.
It is also similar to Transport for London’s (TfL) charter for moped and motorbike delivery riders, which includes other pledges aimed at ensuring safe driving.
A spokesperson for Khan said he was “deeply concerned about the rising number of fires linked to e-bikes and e-scooters”.
They added that the mayor was considering expanding TfL’s motorcycle delivery charter to include e-bikes.
The spokesperson said: “The mayor is deeply concerned about the rising number of fires linked to e-bikes and e-scooters, which are often due to faulty or unsafe batteries and chargers, especially those purchased online.
“He continues to urge Londoners to only buy batteries and conversion kits from reputable sellers and to follow the London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) e-bike and e-scooter guidance.”
They continued: “The mayor, Transport for London (TfL) and the LFB continue to lobby government for clear national legislation and tougher product standards to ensure all e-bikes and e-scooters on London’s streets are safe and that those selling poor-quality products are held accountable."
