The Uber and Google-backed transport company is less than two years old, but is already worth more than $1bn. Lime offers GPS and 3G-enabled electric bicycles and scooters which can be unlocked and ridden for a small fee, before being abandoned for another user to ride.

It has operations in more than 100 sites in the US, and several in Europe, including in Germany, France, Spain and Belgium.

Now, Lime will be depositing dockless e-bikes in Milton Keynes in its first UK operation. The company will begin by providing 50 units at Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, followed by a further 50 if demand grows, and is reportedly in discussions to launch in another UK city by the end of 2018. Milton Keynes has previously been chosen as the testing ground for autonomous delivery robots and driverless cars, thanks to its ‘grid-like’ roadways.

The e-bikes can be located and unlocked using the official Lime app. They will cost £1 to unlock and 15p/min to ride, a higher charge than in the US where users pay $1 (78p) to unlock the e-bikes and 15c/min (12p/min) to ride. The bikes will have a maximum speed of just below 15mph (24km/h).

Lime expects that the average trip will take 15 minutes (at a cost of £3.25), and has confirmed that it will employ local workers to maintain and redistribute the bikes.

Transport regulations are likely to prevent the rollout of its e-scooters in the UK, meaning that – for now – the company will solely be providing bright-green bicycles to British streets.

According to Lime, this is the first fully dockless e-bike business in the UK. However, there have previously been troubled attempts to roll out dockless bike schemes, including the Beijing-based Mobike bringing its orange bicycles to London and Manchester. Mobike withdrew from Manchester after less than six months, following hundreds of instances of theft and vandalism. It has since completely suspended its operations in Manchester and reduced its operations in London. Mobike, Singapore-based oBike and Beijng-based ofo have all provoked ire from city authorities and residents due to reports of bikes being frequently abandoned on pavements and “cluttering” cities.

Lime, meanwhile, has attracted some negative attention for a handful of road fatalities as well as a dispute with the San Francisco municipal authority over Lime bikes cluttering pavements, which resulted in the company being denied a permit to operate in the city. There has also been anger at Lime scooters being programmed to repeatedly play a loud message warning “I’ll call the police” when touched.

The Uber and Google-backed transport company is less than two years old, but is already worth more than $1bn. Lime offers GPS and 3G-enabled electric bicycles and scooters which can be unlocked and ridden for a small fee, before being abandoned for another user to ride.

It has operations in more than 100 sites in the US, and several in Europe, including in Germany, France, Spain and Belgium.

Now, Lime will be depositing dockless e-bikes in Milton Keynes in its first UK operation. The company will begin by providing 50 units at Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, followed by a further 50 if demand grows, and is reportedly in discussions to launch in another UK city by the end of 2018. Milton Keynes has previously been chosen as the testing ground for autonomous delivery robots and driverless cars, thanks to its ‘grid-like’ roadways.

The e-bikes can be located and unlocked using the official Lime app. They will cost £1 to unlock and 15p/min to ride, a higher charge than in the US where users pay $1 (78p) to unlock the e-bikes and 15c/min (12p/min) to ride. The bikes will have a maximum speed of just below 15mph (24km/h).

Lime expects that the average trip will take 15 minutes (at a cost of £3.25), and has confirmed that it will employ local workers to maintain and redistribute the bikes.

Transport regulations are likely to prevent the rollout of its e-scooters in the UK, meaning that – for now – the company will solely be providing bright-green bicycles to British streets.

According to Lime, this is the first fully dockless e-bike business in the UK. However, there have previously been troubled attempts to roll out dockless bike schemes, including the Beijing-based Mobike bringing its orange bicycles to London and Manchester. Mobike withdrew from Manchester after less than six months, following hundreds of instances of theft and vandalism. It has since completely suspended its operations in Manchester and reduced its operations in London. Mobike, Singapore-based oBike and Beijng-based ofo have all provoked ire from city authorities and residents due to reports of bikes being frequently abandoned on pavements and “cluttering” cities.

Lime, meanwhile, has attracted some negative attention for a handful of road fatalities as well as a dispute with the San Francisco municipal authority over Lime bikes cluttering pavements, which resulted in the company being denied a permit to operate in the city. There has also been anger at Lime scooters being programmed to repeatedly play a loud message warning “I’ll call the police” when touched.