Technical issues with bikes last week. Switching on after scanning then shutting down. Tried everything to get the app to work, deleting, installing, switching off phone - nothing is working. App ha... See more
Company replied
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Review summary
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Reviews shaping this summary
If I could give no stars i would. I lived in Brentford for a few years and would always use electric bikes to get around locally. I moved away, and returned to find forest had replaced lime for bike... See more
Company replied
For months Forest' app has been unable to end rides. The camera keeps crashing the app and worse, sometimes freezing and rebooting the entire phone. This results in daily struggles trying to get to pl... See more
Company replied
Sadly, I'm yet another case of the app not letting me park due to bugs with their GPS system and being charged a fortune because of it. Clearly parked in a designated parking spot but the app seemed t... See more
Company replied
Company details
Written by the company
We’re Forest. You know, those shared ebikes in London that look like trees. We’re London’s most affordable and most sustainable shared eBike. We give everyone 10 minutes free riding time, every day. It doesn’t stop at 10 minutes though, we offer riders a way to get even more free minutes by watching ads from our conscious-minded partners. We power our operations with 100% renewable energy (which we have done since day 1). We then offset our manufacturing emissions by growing an actual forest, through local and responsible tree planting, in Wales.
Contact info
London, United Kingdom
- 02081577491
- cs@humanforest.co.uk
- humanforest.co.uk
1.4
Bad
334 reviews
Replied to 98% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 48 hours
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Should be banned
Awful
We are seeing more and more of these bikes dumped on pavements and in parks
When notified they send a generic “we’re sorry” mail but clearly don’t care
Should be fined every time one is left blocking a pavement as a hazard for disabled and those with young children in buggy’s
October 10, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Hew, 👋
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review.
We understand that improper parking can be frustrating, and we’re fully committed to addressing riders who disregard the rules designed to ensure safety and a positive experience for both the community and our riders.
To promote responsible parking, we ask all users to follow these guidelines:
Use our designated parking bays where possible, and park the eBike neatly. Some of these bays are virtual and can be found via our app.
Keep paths clear for all pedestrians, especially those with disabilities or visual impairments.
Avoid blocking entrances/exits or gated communities, and consider accessibility for future users.
Never park in the middle of pavements or crossings.
Where applicable, park near bike racks, allowing other cyclists access. Some boroughs encourage responsible parking within bike racks.
Always adhere to local signage and regulations, and respect private property.
We take rule violations seriously. Users who fail to comply are warned, fined, and may eventually face a ban from our service. We monitor this through a combination of AI technology and reports from local residents, which helps us quickly address irresponsible parking.
We have made reporting a poorly parked bike simple—just send us the bike number or location, and our support and community champions will arrange for its relocation as soon as possible and where necessary warn, fine or ban the previous rider
Thank you for helping us keep our shared spaces safe and accessible.
Thanks,
Ashleigh
The Forest Team 🌳
Great delivery
Great delivery! Very friendly & helpful carried my log storage to where I wanted it although it was heavy! Thank you Paul M 🙂
October 10, 2024
Unprompted review
Completely dishonest pricing structure…
Completely dishonest pricing structure with hidden fees that they make as hard as possible to see. Forest used to offer worse bikes for lower cost. Competitors now offer significantly better bikes at more transparent prices with better service. Avoid.
October 4, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Ed, 👋
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and we can confirm that this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
We're really sorry to hear you've encountered issues with bikes. We understand how important it is for our eBikes to be reliable. That's why we now ensure all eBikes receive a service at least every 3 weeks to keep them in tip-top shape. We’ll take your feedback on board to improve further.
Please do get in touch ASAP if you experience any problems, and our Support Team will be happy to help. 🚴🔧
We have now also added a button at the bottom of the ride rating screen, 'Report Damage' so you can really quickly create a damage report in the app once the ride has ended. We then go over the reports manually and ensure the bikes are taken offline and any necessary refunds or minute returns are carried out.
Thanks,
Ashleigh
The Forest Team 🌳
False advertising
False advertising.
Should be illegal to state first 10 minutes are free when it actually costs £1.90 unlock and service fee. I just don't understand how a company can be allowed to get away with it.
October 7, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Sian, 👋
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
Just to let you know we also have Minute Bundles, if you are planning on taking longer rides or riding often I would advise checking them out, these are set amounts of minutes you can buy, they can be found on the Menu in the app, there are also no unlocking or service fees when using our Bundles. 😃
Thanks,
Ashleigh
The Forest Team 🌳
No portal to dispute charges made in…
No portal to dispute charges made in error.
September 24, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, Luke 👋
Thank you for your review.
I'm sorry to hear you wish to report an issue, you can get in touch with our Support & Community team via email at cs@humanforest.co.uk, via live chat from 8am to midnight by clicking the support icon on the home page of the app, and also via phone from 9am to 5pm (Mon - Fri) - 02081577491.
Our Support & Community team will be really happy to help. 😊
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Bikes are damaged and dangerous
10 minutes free is a lie.
Bought a months pass. 5 bikes in the first 3 days of use were damaged/ dangerous to be on roads. Including one where the back wheel was flat and loose.
September 24, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, 👋
Thank you for your review.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and we can confirm that this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
We're really sorry to hear you've encountered issues with bikes. We understand how important it is for our eBikes to be reliable. That's why we now ensure all eBikes receive a service at least every 3 weeks to keep them in tip-top shape. We’ll take your feedback on board to improve further.
Please do get in touch ASAP if you experience any problems, and our Support Team will be happy to help. 🚴🔧
We have now also added a button at the bottom of the ride rating screen, 'Report Damage' so you can really quickly create a damage report in the app once the ride has ended. We then go over the reports manually and ensure the bikes are taken offline and any necessary refunds or minute returns are carried out.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
“10 Minutes Absolutely Free” < It’s A Lie
The marketing on the app says “get 10 minutes absolutely free every day” in actual fact you have to pay a £1 unlocking fee plus a 90p daily service fee which is hidden in the small print and only disclosed if you click on the tiny “?” Icon.
So ultimately you’re just paying a slightly discounted rate of £0.19 per minute for the first 10 minutes and then back to the standard rate of £0.29 per minute. This is extremely misleading and it’s also expensive. Not worth it.
September 6, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, Oliver 👋
Thank you for your review.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and we can confirm that this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
Just to let you know we also have Minute Bundles, if you are planning on taking longer rides or riding often I would advise checking them out, these are set amounts of minutes you can buy, they can be found on the Menu in the app, there are also no unlocking or service fees when using our Bundles.
In our Minute Builder, you can also get extra minutes every day by watching ads, further increasing your savings. 😃
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
I am not happy with the advertising…
I am not happy with the advertising used to lure in new customers using Forest bikes. I was charged £16.99 for an hour for two bikes and i will not be selecting this bike again. Not clear pricing when purchasing a new ride and the bikes did not turn off properly even though the app confirmed the conclusion of service by ending the rides!. I ended my usage and then wanted to use the same bike later that day … it appeared to be available but did not allow myself or another random by stander to purchase another request for usage/service! The app just kept on loading screen.
Not happy
August 2, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, Mellissa 👋
Thank you for your review.
I'm really sorry to hear that you found our pricing unclear, we try to be as transparent as possible with our pricing and the price of riding time is mentioned in the app before each ride.
We strive to be as sustainably priced as possible while also ensuring our business remains sustainable and everything runs smoothly.
If you’re a frequent rider or love long rides, we have a money-saving option for you: Minutes Bundles! These pre-paid packages of riding minutes are available directly in the app. They’re a great way to save money if you ride often or need longer durations, plus you get unlimited free unlocks and no daily service fees when using a bundle!
We also offer a 20% discount on riding minutes to students, NHS staff, pensioners, and Emergency Services.
In our Minute Builder, you can also get extra minutes every day by watching ads, further increasing your savings.
I'm really sorry to hear that you had an issue ending your ride. Could you kindly reach out to our support team regarding this at cs@humanforest.co.uk and we can take a look at your ride for you.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Still not a mature service but there is hope
- Great app as it is very fast to load and easy to use
- Too many ads in the app. I get that your are using them to fund the 10 free minutes a day but please integrate the ads better
- Bikes are only easy to find in parts of London not everywhere
- Bikes heavy and if not parked properly I have seen strong winds push them over. So be careful one does not fall on you
- Price: too expensive. You need to drop the price down and maybe give us a £10/month option for 10-15 hours a month. That would allow us to use the service for about half of our monthly commute and the other half we can use the bus/train etc.
September 4, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, David 👋
Thank you for your review.
It's great to hear that you've had a good experience with the app. As you mentioned, the ads sponsor the daily 10 free minutes of riding time. Thank you for your feedback on their integration—we'll be sure to pass that on to our app team.
I'm sorry to hear that you've found it difficult to find bikes in some areas of London. As time goes on, we're hoping to expand our fleet, so this should become less and less of a problem. 😃
We strive to be as sustainably priced as possible while also ensuring our business remains sustainable and everything runs smoothly.
If you’re a frequent rider or love long rides, we have a money-saving option for you: Minutes Bundles! These pre-paid packages of riding minutes are available directly in the app. They’re a great way to save money if you ride often or need longer durations, plus you get unlimited free unlocks and no daily service fees when using a bundle!
We also offer a 20% discount on riding minutes to students, NHS staff, pensioners, and Emergency Services.
In our Minute Builder, you can also get extra minutes every day by watching ads, further increasing your savings.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
£29 for 1 hour ride - never again
£29 for 1 hour ride. I read that the ride was free for the 1st ride, but halfway through my ride read the details and realised that I was being charged per min. I am deleting the app and will be using the Santander bikes which are a bit lighter than these bikes and much more affordable.
These Forrest bikes are very heavy!
People please double check before committing to this bike scheme.
September 1, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Leesha, 👋
Thank you for your review.
I'm really sorry for any confusion caused, I can confirm that the first ride isn't free and we don't advertise it as being free. We try to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and the prices are mentioned in the app before you start your ride.
Just to let you know, we also have Minute Bundles which are set amounts of minutes you can buy. If you are planning on taking longer rides or riding often I would advise checking them out, they can be found in the Menu in the app, there are also no unlocking or service fees when using our Bundles. 😃
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
thieves
they always charge way more than what they should, they lie about their pricing...besides the bikes aren't well maintained. avoid.
August 28, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Zino, 👋
Thank you for your review.
I'm really sorry to hear that you feel you have been overcharged. Could you kindly get in touch with our Support & Community team regarding this at cs@humanforest.co.uk and we can help clear up any charges you are unsure about.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
I rented their bike for 27 minutes for…
I rented their bike for 27 minutes for the first time like a week ago so they say 10 minutes is free so that means i only used 17 minutes and i got charged £5 for that and you have to pay a £1 unlock fee and a £0.90 daily service fee so i paid £7+ for a 27 minute trip. They advertise as 10 minutes free but they charge me £1.90 when i use the bike💀. They dont advertise that the unlock fee is £1 nor the daily service fee is £0.90 they just say 10 minutes is free like if you use the bike for 10 minutes or less, you wont be charged a penny which is false. Very misleading thats like using £2 to use a bike for 10 mins.
August 19, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, 👋
Thank you for your review.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and we can confirm that this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
If you’re a frequent rider or love long rides, we have another money-saving option for you: Minutes Bundles! These pre-paid packages of riding minutes are available directly in the app. They’re a great way to save money if you ride often or need longer durations, you get unlimited free unlocks and no daily service fees when using a bundle!
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Be careful of these bikes,
Be careful of these bikes, they have a piece protruding from the center of the handle bars, that is an add-on. I now have bruises from the bottom to the top of my sternum, and am in pain. It needs to be removed.
August 26, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Stacey, 👋
Thank you for your review.
We believe you are referring to the speedometer. We would always advise mounting and dismounting the eBikes with a lot of care and always carrying out a check of the eBike before starting your ride.
We have also passed this feedback onto our operations team.
As a gesture of goodwill we have refunded your ride with us and emailed you regrading this.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Recently stopped riding motorcycle…
Recently stopped riding motorcycle after 22 years and now just public transport but if I can will always choose forest for bike hire. Find buying bundles the ideal option for me.
Finding new parts of london cause of the routes locally and I'm loving it
August 1, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Kieron, 👋
Thank you for your lovely review.
Its great to hear you're enjoying our Minute Bundles and exploring new parts of London!
Its lovely to have you as part of the Forest Community! 😃
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
No free never be free
I been using a year and I think there is a amusch better ways to use this service that need to improve first
You ask to pay 6£ deposit to use it
And in the page and in the advertising says you can use 10 min fault free but I been charge every time I use + 5 every time I use so there is no free use and they keep charge u 5 £ for that reason use Uber they don’t charge 5£ and the amount your use is a bit high
August 24, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Rob, 👋
Thank you for your review.
So, the £5 charge you see is actually just a temporary hold that we place on your default payment method each time you rent an eBike. It's just a way for us to make sure that your payment method is valid and that you have enough funds to pay for the ride. This hold will show up as a "pending" transaction on your bank statement, but it will never actually be charged.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and we can confirm that this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
Just to let you know we also have Minute Bundles, if you are planning on taking longer rides or riding often I would advise checking them out, these are set amounts of minutes you can buy, they can be found on the Menu in the app, there are also no unlocking or service fees when using our Bundles. 😃
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
10 minutes free daily doesn't exist
Being fooled out due to the ad of "10 minutes free daily"; the fact is we need to at least spend £1 to unlock the bike and £.90 for service fee so in total is at £1.90 for that "10 minutes free daily" adv. Highly unrecomended!
August 21, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there Dewi, 👋
Thank you for your review.
The Daily 10 applies to riding time, and we can confirm that this riding time is added to your account every day you ride. The minutes are activated when you take your first ride and can be found in the Credit section of the app.
If you don't have an active Bundle or subscription, there is a £1 unlock fee before each ride and a daily service fee of 90p that is applied to your first ride of the day.
We apologise for any confusion caused. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and this information is mentioned in the app when you first sign up, in the welcome email, and also in the app before each ride.
Just to let you know we also have Minute Bundles, if you are planning on taking longer rides or riding often I would advise checking them out, these are set amounts of minutes you can buy, they can be found on the Menu in the app, there are also no unlocking or service fees when using our Bundles. 😃
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
The free 10 minutes daily ride time is…
The free 10 minutes daily ride time is the saving grace for Forest, otherwise the charges are too expensive and more expensive than all other forms of public transport. So only feasible to use once per day and not for a daily commute both ways. As others have suggested, both cost per minute and daily fees increase without warning. Forest really needs to treat customers with respect and communicate price increases in advance. I have only realised that the 50p daily fee is now 90p, having read your review feedback here, which is really annoying particularly as the cost per minute has also seen a large percentage increase. The blue River bikes were a terrible ride with their hard tyres - I’m glad that these do not appear to be around so much.
August 22, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, 👋
Thank you for your review.
While we try to be as sustainably priced as possible, any time the price does increase, it is because unfortunately, the previous price was no longer sustainable for us as a business.
We try to be as transparent as possible with our pricing, and the prices are mentioned in the app before you start your ride.
If you’re a frequent rider or love long rides, we have another money-saving option for you: Minutes Bundles! These pre-paid packages of riding minutes are available directly in the app. They’re a great way to save money if you ride often or need longer durations, you get unlimited free unlocks and no daily service fees when using a bundle!
We also offer a 20% discount on riding minutes to students, NHS staff, pensioners, and Emergency Services.
We are still the cheapest eBike option in London.
We're really sorry to hear you've felt the price changes haven't been clear. We try to be as transparent as possible and the pricing is mentioned in the app before each ride. But we do really appreciate this feedback and we'll be sure to pass it on to our app team.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Tech side needs improvement
Bikes are very good, well-maintained.
Good coverage and availability.
The app is rubbish - slow and glitchy.
August 22, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, 👋
Thank you for your review. We're really happy to hear you're a fan of the bikes and the coverage area.
We're sorry to hear you haven't had a good experience with the app, but we really appreciate your honest feedback. It is incredibly valuable to us as we strive to improve our service, and we'll make sure it's passed on to our app team.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Cheap but the bikes are terrible to ride
August 9, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi there, 👋
Thank you for your review. We're really sorry to hear that you didn't find our eBikes enjoyable to ride. Would it be possible if you could reach out to us at cs@humanfoest.co.uk with your feedback. We'd really love to hear from you as we work to improve! 😃
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Convenient and affordable, but not perfect (yet)
Affordable and speedy way to get round the city, with a much better grasp on ethical business than a lot of its competitors. As someone who’s always running late, the free 10 mins ride time is a lifesaver when I need to get somewhere quicker than a bus can, but that isn’t far enough for a tube. The only thing preventing me from giving 5 stars is the occasional unlock glitch, though support are always on hand to help with that.
August 20, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hi Noah, 👋
Thank you for your lovely review. We're really happy to hear you've been making use of the daily 10 free minutes of riding time. 😃
Thank you for the feedback regarding the app. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us as we strive to improve our service, and we'll make sure it's passed on to our app team.
Thanks,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
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