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
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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
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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
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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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Total Scam company.
Total Scam company.
Their app showed me I had 32mins left to use. So I used the bike to use up the minutes, when I finished the ride 22mins later as expected it showed 9mins left. But just as I closed the app I clocked it had charged me a regular fare. So I reopened to double check and it had and all traces of the minutes were gone, showing now 0mins left. Like wth?
Immediately messaged support and they were like, "we don't see the minutes". No duh, I don't see it either, what is going on with your app?
Never using/recommending them again.
Also the 10mins "free" is a false advertising scam as you pay 2.5£... such a con.
● The definition of "FREE" is, "Without cost or payment". So the fact that you charge, is FALSE ADVERTISING. As that is not "free" as the company is advertertising, that is 10mins for 2.50£.
Also they do not disclose the upcoming 2.50 charge prior to using the bike. So this is clearly misleading clients. Really and truly this is a breach of contract. Stop lying and just be transparent.
September 12, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello,
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your review.
We're really sorry to hear you're having issues with your minutes. We’ve already requested your information so we can take a closer look at your account.
Just to clarify, the £1.90 charge has recently been updated. The new £2.50 charge includes a £1 unlock fee and a £1.50 daily service fee (previously 90p). The daily service fee helps us maintain the fleet and keep the bikes in top condition for all our riders. This pricing is clearly displayed in the app before you begin each ride.
The Daily 10 gives you 10 minutes of riding time each day you ride. These minutes are automatically added to your account when you take your first ride of the day and can be found in the Minutes section of the app.
If you don’t have an active Bundle or Subscription, the £1 unlock fee will be applied every ride and £1.50 daily service fee will apply to your first ride of the day.
We understand this may have caused some confusion, and we sincerely apologise. We do our best to be as transparent as possible but this information is shown in the app when you first sign up, in your welcome email, and before every ride.
If you're a frequent rider or love longer rides, our Minutes Bundles are a great money-saving option. These pre-paid packages include:
- Free unlimited unlocks
- No daily service fees
- A longer ride time at a lower cost
You’ll find them directly in the app.
We also offer a 20% discount for students, NHS staff, pensioners, and emergency services.
We also have a Minute Builder feature where you can earn extra free minutes daily by watching short ads, helping you save even more!
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
Truly awful service
They've decided to hike the 30 minutes price up by 25% with no communication or care. Half the time the bikes pedals fall off seats randomly snap and the battery just stops.
The audacity to raise the price is hilarious. Guarantee they'll be out of business in London by the end of this year.
September 17, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Ryan,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
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 have also increased the minute allocation from 30 to 40 minutes and these minutes come with free unlock and daily service fees as with all of our Bundles.
If you're looking for more ways to save, we've recently introduced discounted bikes, where you can ride for 30 minutes for £1. We’re marking these bikes with a big ‘£1’ symbol on the map.
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. 🚴🔧
Just to let you know, you can also create a damage report in the app when you come across an issue. We then go over the reports manually and ensure the bikes are taken offline and any necessary refunds or minute returns are carried out.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
Unfair £20 Fee and Poor Communication
I recently used Forest and was shocked by how unclear their system is. I was charged a £20 fee for supposedly entering a “red zone” without any clear warning or real-time alert in the app. At no point did the app make it obvious that I was outside their operational boundaries, nor that I would incur such a heavy penalty.
When I raised the issue with their support team, they refused to refund me and simply pointed to the map yet as a customer, I cannot be expected to constantly monitor tiny map zones while riding. Clear, real-time alerts should be standard.
This was not a matter of misuse, but a failure of communication on Forest’s side. Penalising customers for unclear boundaries feels unreasonable and unfair. The dismissive response from customer service made the situation even worse.
I value transparency and fairness from any company, and unfortunately Forest fell short. Charging customers for something that was not clearly communicated is unacceptable.
September 7, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
We understand it can be frustrating when parking options are limited, and we apologize for any inconvenience. Please note that the availability of parking zones is regulated by each borough, and we must follow their guidelines. If we do not operate in a specific area, it is because we are not permitted to park there.
When you first sign up and also before your first ride you are also informed you cannot end your ride in the areas marked in red on the map. The red zones are clearly marked before and during your ride.
For future rides, please do check the map before setting off. Red areas are always visible, and grey No Parking Areas appear once your ride begins. To view these grey zones in advance, you can tap on a bike on the map before starting your ride.
Also, just so you know, you can use the magnifying glass icon on the app’s home screen to search for your destination directly on the map.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
Really awful
September 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Babak,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
I'm really sorry to hear that you haven't had a good experience with the app. If you have a moment and are able to share more detailed feedback with us at cs@humanforest.co.uk we'd be really happy to hear it as we work to improve the service for all of our riders.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
Nope, just not worth the hassle.
First off, your app is awful. Looks like it was created for 6 year olds. Unclear, cluttered and childish. Second, how the hell do you know which bike to ride? Says you can start with bike xxxx but then can you find it? No. Sorry, but you need to do WAY better than this to be considered competition to Lime.
September 9, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Charles,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
I'm really sorry to hear that you haven't had a good experience with the app.
You can use the search for a bike feature on the home page to find the nearest bike to you, or view the bikes closest to you on the in-app map. By clicking on a bike you can get directions to the bike and once there, you can begin the ride by scanning the QR code.
If you need any further assistance our support team is also available to help.
You can reach us via:
Email: cs@humanforest.co.uk
Live Chat: Available from 8am to midnight through the support icon on the app homepage
Phone: 020 8157 7491 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
STAYAWAY, DO NOT USE
I used their bikes twice a day for 3 days.
Each time I was overcharged !!!
Tried calling them, phones out of service!
Tried sending an email, AI response received.
It seems this company is making MILLIONS by overcharging Londoners.
I'm never using their bikes again.
September 9, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Clarence,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
I'm really sorry to hear that you've had issues on your rides.
Due to the increase in demand from the tube strikes, our phone lines have been closed this week, so we can get back to every enquiry faster.
Just to let you know, we are also available via live chat, you can get through to an agent right away by asking the bot to put you through to speak to someone.
If you haven't received a reply within 48 hours please kindly email us directly at cs@humanforest.co.uk.
We'd also advise checking your junk folder.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
No response from customer service have…
No response from customer service have deducted money for unavailable bikes
September 11, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
I'm sorry to hear that you're still awaiting a response from our support team. With the tube strikes we are a little behind at the moment, but you should receive a reply within 72 hours.
If you haven't received a reply within this time please kindly email us directly at cs@humanforest.co.uk.
We'd also advise checking your junk folder just in case.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
Never use them!
Awful experience, the motor didn’t work and I lasted 8 minutes on leg power alone, when I tried to end my ride I was apparently’out of the forest’
I the app gave me no help in finding a correct parking area. I parked the faulty bike in a neat safe space and got fined. I’ll never use forest again, Lime bikes are much better, especially love the bundles of minutes option and ease of use of the app. I hope the forest dies.
September 8, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Daisy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
I'm really sorry to hear that you had an issue during your ride. Would it be possible if you could kindly reach out to our support team at cs@humanforest.co.uk regarding this.
I'm really sorry to hear your destination was outside of our operational area. This area is shaded in red on the map and when you first sign up and before your first ride we inform riders that they can't end their rides in these areas.
We’re truly excited about the prospect of bringing Forest and parking bays to every corner of London, it's a dream we're passionate about!
However, dockless parking is subject to regulation in each borough, and the rules can vary significantly. If you find that we’re not currently operating in your specific area, it’s because we haven’t yet secured the necessary permissions from that borough. We understand how frustrating this can be, but please know that we’re tirelessly working to expand Forest’s reach!
We would always advise checking the map before starting your ride to ensure your destination is within our operational area and is not a No Parking Area. The red zone marking the outside of our operational area is always visible and the No Parking Areas within our operational area can be viewed before you start your ride by clicking on a bike on the map.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
horrible
horrible. thought I’d use it over lime - hoping you had improved in recent months since my last use. you’re still shit. why does it feel like half of London is a no parking zone. missed my train to work because of the prking fiasco and went over the “free 10mins daily” (which is actually £2.50 just to unlock a bike) because I was looking for parking. Lime is still cheaper, bikes feel faster and more secure and you can park them practically anywhere. Absolutely do no recommend
September 4, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Yehya,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us!
We’re really sorry to hear that some of your destinations have been No Parking Areas. We’re truly excited about the prospect of bringing Forest and parking bays to every corner of London—it's a dream we're passionate about!
However, dockless parking is subject to regulation in each borough, and the rules can vary significantly. If you find that we’re not currently operating in your specific area, it’s because we haven’t yet secured the necessary permissions from that borough. We understand how frustrating this can be, but please know that we’re tirelessly working to expand Forest’s reach!
We would always advise checking the map before starting your ride to ensure your destination is within our operational area and is not a No Parking Area. The red zone marking the outside of our operational area is always visible and the No Parking Areas within our operational area can be viewed before you start your ride by clicking on a bike on the map.
Best wishes,
Gareth
Forest Team 🌳
Unusable due to lack of bikes and parking
I’ve been using Forest for a few months, but unfortunately the service has become unusable. The lack of bike availability and the increasingly limited number of parking spaces mean that what should be a quick and convenient ride often turns into long walks searching for a bike or somewhere to leave it.
What started as a promising idea to have more than just Lime bikes in London has become unreliable and impractical for daily use. I’m back to Lime.
September 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Clara,
Thanks for taking the time to leave your review.
I'm really sorry to hear that you've had issues with bike availability and parking areas. We've passed the feedback on bike availability onto our operations team.
Regarding, parking areas. We’re truly excited about the prospect of bringing Forest and parking bays to every corner of London, it's a dream we're passionate about!
However, dockless parking is subject to regulation in each borough, and the rules can vary significantly. If you find that we’re not currently operating in your specific area, it’s because we haven’t yet secured the necessary permissions from that borough. We understand how frustrating this can be, but please know that we’re tirelessly working to expand Forest’s reach and add more parking bays.
We would always advise checking the map before starting your ride to ensure your destination is within our operational area and is not a No Parking Area. The red zone marking the outside of our operational area is always visible and the No Parking Areas within our operational area can be viewed before you start your ride by clicking on a bike on the map.
Best wishes,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
For a quick 5 mins ride they charge…
For a quick 5 mins ride they charge £2.50. £1 to unlock and they increased the service fee to a ridiculous £1.50. Free 10mins doesnt do anything for those who does regular short journeys. 3£ for 30mins aint worth it either as it expires in 1 day.
September 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Imran,
We understand that price changes aren’t always welcome, and we really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
We’ve recently changed our Pay-As-You-Go pricing, the daily ride fee is now £1.50 (previously £0.90). The £1 unlock fee and 10 free minutes per day remain the same, and the £0.29 per-minute rate hasn’t changed.
In order to operate in each borough, we have to pay a fee. These fees vary borough to borough (just like the parking rules), but one thing that is consistent is that these fees have doubled in the past year. As a result of these rising borough fees, we’ve made the decision to raise our daily service fee to £1.50.
Even with this change, Forest is the cheapest shared ebike in London. A 10 minute PAYG trip is still 36% cheaper, and £1.40 less, compared to our biggest competitor. And our bundles remain the cheapest of all shared ebike operators in the city.
However, we’ve just introduced a new way to ride 30 minutes for just £1:
- No daily fee
- £1 unlock
- 30 free minutes (must be used within 90 minutes).
- Over 1,000 available each day, clearly marked on the map.
If the 24 hour Bundle doesn't suit you, we also have options that last 3 days, one week and 30 days.
Best wishes,
Gareth
The Forest Team 🌳
Let me list all the complaints:
Let me list all the complaints:
- The app logs me out frequently, whereas Lime almost never does. Super annoying when I want to grab a bike fast and am in a rush.
- The bike saddles are broken a significant amount of the time.
- The bike won't let me park it and I have to close and re-open the app 10+ times just to get it to accept where I've tried to park it.
- So many pop-ups in the app which I have to swipe through because they're all irrelevant to me.
- Numerous times the bike just wouldn't start working even after I activated it.
- Numerous times I've had to speak to support / live chat because the bike won't deactivate despite being in a parking bay.
Overall, disappointed in Forest. Lime is more efficient, less buggy, fewer in-app distractions, and simpler to use. I try and avoid Forest bikes whenever possible. The app experience is really poor.
August 31, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Patrick,
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback, and we're sorry to hear about your experience. This isn’t the kind of experience we want for our riders.
We’ve passed your comments on to the relevant teams so they can look into the issues you've raised.
We really appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and we hope we can offer you a smoother experience in the future.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
The Forest Team 🌳
Unfair £20 Charge and Poor Customer Support
I have been using Forest for over five months with hundreds of rides and initially found the service reliable. Unfortunately, the experience has deteriorated significantly in recent weeks.
Most recently, the app would not allow me to end a ride despite being clearly within a designated parking zone. I contacted customer support, only to be told—incorrectly—that I had parked in a restricted area. Despite providing evidence, I was charged £20.
The response I received from the representative 'Jack' handling my case was dismissive and unprofessional, which only compounded the issue. It is extremely disappointing to see a company risk losing loyal customers over such a matter, especially when their own app failed to function properly. The witty responses from the rep trying to 'prove me wrong' is only pushing me away more from the service.
Unless Forest resolves this charge fairly, I cannot recommend their service and will be moving to Lime and Voi very promptly
August 30, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Adam,
Thank you for getting in touch and for sharing your experience with us.
I’ve requested your information so I can look into your ride in more detail and review what happened.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
Calamitous shambles
Seems I'm yet another victim of the GPS fault meaning the bike wouldn't dock although it was very clearly in a designated bay. From there it just got worse as there is no one to speak to about the issue apart from a bot that tells you everything is all fine while all the while you are continuing to be charged. Any time saving I had made by using the bike was lost because I was stood there scratching my head at how to resolve the issue with no support from forest. Ridiculously I went back 25 minutes later , and moved the bike out of the parking bay and onto the pavement where I was then allowed to end my ride. I was then initially refunded the wrong amount after I had to email the company, and my email back to forest to explain this was ignored. Utter shambles just don't bother with them, my first experience with forest will absolutely be my last
August 21, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Daniel,
Thank you for getting in touch and for sharing your experience with us.
I’ve requested your information so I can look into your ride in more detail and review what happened.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
THE WORST - 0 STARS
THE BIKES ALLOWED US TO DRIVE INTO THE RED ZONE FOR 2 MILES BEFORE THEY STOPPED WORKING. WE WERE THEN STUCK AND TOLD TO WALK THE BIKES BACK TO THE ZONE. OBVIOUSLY, WE COULDN'T DO THAT, AND IT WAS CLEARLY THEIR FAULT FOR ALLOWING THE BIKES TO WORK IN THE RED ZONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY THEN CHARGED US £20 EACH AS A FINE?? NO APOLOGIES, AND THE ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS USELESS. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND USE LIME BIKES OR WALK INSTEAD.
August 24, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Tyron,
Thanks for taking the time to leave your review.
The red no-parking zone is shown in the app both before and during your ride. This information is also included in the welcome email and welcome carousel when you first join, and a pop-up appears in the app the first time you start a ride to explain these zones.
Unfortunately, we do not currently have permission from the local council to allow ride endings in these zones.
I can see you’ve also contacted our support team via email, so we’ll be sending you a map of our operational area to avoid any future issues.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
Bike died mid ride and kept charging me
I had a horrible situation where the bike died in the middle of the street and the app was still showing that I was riding and kept charging me, tried calling them automated msg, then their email didn’t really explain why that happend or offered any compensation. The bike kept charging for 40 minutes when I had just been driving for 5 minutes then I had to stop a stranger’s van to help me carry it to a parking spot to end the ride, it was beeping and looked like we were thieves. Don’t use this bike ever
August 19, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Afra,
Thank you for getting in touch and for leaving your review.
We're sorry to hear about your experience.
We've requested your information, as this will help us investigate the issue further and ensure that the bike has been taken offline.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
Terrible company !!
I was riding a forest bike as normal for about an hour. I was going down a normal tarmac road and my back tire started bumping up and down and when I checked the tire was flat beyond repair. I have phoned Forest about the issue and still got no refund even after stopping immediately after this happening. I would like some sort of compensation. This happened in the new area of Hounslow !!!!! (this bike was rented under the email joshuabalmer3@ gmail.com )
August 12, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Kate,
Thanks for taking the time to leave your review. Keeping our bikes in good condition is a top priority, and we’ve passed your comments on to our operations team.
Unfortunately, as your ride was quite long, we’re unable to offer a full refund for the minutes used. However, we can confirm that additional minutes were added to your account.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
App bugs cost me £40 for a 5 minute ride
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 to think I was not. I was running late for an important meeting so didn't have time to sit around and wait for an email back from support, which seems to be their only option when countless app bugs punish innocent commuters. That's £40 down the drain and an incredibly blunt/indifferent exchange with support. Lime all the way!
August 8, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Patrick,
Thank you for taking the time to share your review.
We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced. App stability is a high priority for us, and we’ll be passing your feedback to our tech team.
I've also requested your information and will be looking into this ride, along with your recent interactions with our support team, as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
I had at least 40 mins left on the app
I had at least 40 mins left on the app, it rained 2 days straight, only to turn on the app to find out all the minutes had been taken away!!! who does this?? what kind of a scam is this!!!
July 24, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Richie,
Thanks for taking the time to leave your review.
Just to clarify, all our minutes have an expiry date, which is stated at the time of purchase and can also be viewed in the app.
I've requested your information so I can take a closer look at your account and check if this was the case in your situation.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
Get you bikes off pavement in benbow…
Get you bikes off pavement in benbow road w6 as I am disabled
July 24, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Forest
Hello Susan,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review. We’re sorry to hear that one of our bikes was left in an inappropriate location.
Please rest assured that we take this matter seriously and will be taking appropriate action with the last rider involved. We have also asked for the bike to be relocated as a priority.
If you encounter this issue again in the future, please email us at cs@humanforest.co.uk, this is the quickest way to reach us, and it allows us to relocate the bike as soon as possible.
Best wishes,
Ashleigh
Forest Team 🌳
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