Its success stems from an advertising model unique to the world of micro-mobility.
Forests main competitors in the capital are Lime and Tier.
All three ebike sharing schemes work in much the same way.
You usually pay an unlock fee and then a per-minute fee thereafter.
But Forest is a little different from the other two.
Firstly, it offers 10-minutes free on all rides.
After 10 minutes, youll be charged0.29 (0.34)a minute.
This is comparable to the per-minute rate of their competitors.
My fellow TNW reporter Thomas Macaulay recently took a Forest ebike on a 21-minute ride around central London.
This is about theaverage durationof a bike rental in the capital.
Heres a breakdown of Thomas trip:
Thomas ride cost4.19, including a 1 unlock fee.
For comparison, Lime costs 6.09 over the same distance.
At the moment, its just too expensive.
Ads appear at the start and end of rides in theapp.
Users can even watch videos to earn free trips.
Today, Forest also announced that it has teamed up with UK startup Ecoswap to create adigital gift card.
Like its competitors, Forest also offers a subscription plan.
For 60 a month you get 1,800 minutes or 60 minutes per day.
Interestingly, you could access this subscription for a discounted price under LondonsCycle to Work scheme.
They also employteams of Guardiansthat patrol the streets to spot issues, and move bikes if there are complaints.
For short journeys, theyre a great option as long as the parking is convenient.
The bike ride was pretty easy and felt safe, Thomas says.
Acceleration was fairly slow but thats probably a good thing.
I managed to briefly touch 27 km/h but it generally seemed to lock the speed at 25 km/h.
The parking zones were a bit far away, though, at least in my area.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
