Calls for London underground e-bike ban ignore bigger picture
March 13, 2025
The explosion of an e-bike battery at Rayners Lane station last month was undeniably alarming. Flames and toxic fumes disrupted services on the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines, and the London Fire Brigade had to intervene. In response, the RMT and Aslef unions calling for a total ban on e-bikes on the London Underground, threatening industrial action if Transport for London (TfL) does not comply.
In the rush to ban e-bikes, we risk missing the bigger picture. A similar incident occurred in 2017 when a mobile phone charger exploded on a District Line train, prompting the evacuation of the station. There were no calls for banning mobile phones on the Tube. Why, then, is the response to e-bikes so different?
Aslef argues that an e-bike battery fire onboard a train could lead to a disaster. While the risks associated with lithium batteries should not be dismissed, the response to these incidents needs to be consistent.
This debate isn’t unique to e-bikes or rail travel. American airlines experienced 84 Lithium Ion incidents last year - up from 32 in 2016. Carriers across Asia have recently tightened restrictions on all portable batteries, citing fire risks. Following a fire that destroyed an Air Busan plane on the tarmac in South Korea earlier this year, airlines in the region have introduced new rules requiring passengers to keep portable chargers within arm’s reach rather than stowed in overhead lockers, and banning their use during flights. While pre-flight safety briefings do not mention Lithium Ion batteries, airlines have been quietly equipping their aircraft with 'fire bags' that cabin crew can use to deal with smoking or overheating lithium ion batteries. While these measures are designed to mitigate risk, they also highlight the widespread uncertainty around lithium battery safety and a reluctance by legislators to deal with problems at source.
Rather than an outright ban on e-bikes on the underground, perhaps the focus should be on the broader risk posed by lithium batteries, chargers and the lack of regulation in this area.
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