Deliveroo Announces E-Bike Speed Checks to Target Illegal Delivery Bikes

Last Updated on October 9, 2026 by Kristina

October 9, 2026 | United Kingdom

Food delivery company Deliveroo announced on October 9, 2026, that it is introducing speed-monitoring technology to identify riders who may be using illegally modified electric bikes or vehicles that do not match their registered delivery accounts. The announcement follows growing concerns about illegal e-bikes used for deliveries in British cities, an issue Electric Bike Explorer previously covered in its report on illegal e-bike seizures involving London delivery riders.

The initiative is part of Deliveroo’s new Ride Safe campaign, which focuses on road safety and illegal vehicle use. The company says riders may lose access to its delivery platform if they knowingly register the wrong vehicle type or continue violating its requirements.

Deliveroo is also calling on the UK government to stop the sale of unsafe electric bike conversion kits.

This is a new company monitoring initiative, not a change to UK e-bike law. Deliveroo has not publicly explained every detail of its detection system or announced a confirmed nationwide implementation timetable.

You can follow additional developments in the Electric Bike News archive.

Current Status: Deliveroo Announces Ride Safe Campaign

Deliveroo’s October 9 announcement introduces plans to use technology to identify delivery riders maintaining speeds that an ordinary bicycle or legally compliant e-bike could not reasonably sustain.

When unusually high speeds are detected, the company says it will contact the rider to confirm which type of vehicle is being used.

According to Deliveroo, riders could lose access to the platform if they knowingly registered an incorrect vehicle or if the problem continues.

The initiative is part of the company’s broader Ride Safe campaign.

Paul Bedford, Deliveroo’s policy and sustainability director, said the company wants to improve road safety and encourage government action on unsafe conversion kits.

The campaign has also received support from Transport for London and the London Fire Brigade.

What Has Actually Changed?

Deliveroo has announced additional monitoring and enforcement measures for delivery riders.

It has not announced a new legal speed limit, and the company has not established that every rider exceeding 15.5 mph is using an illegal electric bike.

The precise technical criteria used to identify suspicious journeys have not been publicly disclosed in the sources reviewed.

How Will Deliveroo’s E-Bike Speed Monitoring Work?

Deliveroo requires riders to register the vehicle type they use for deliveries.

Its official rider-support guidance states that riders must notify the company before they or their substitutes switch to a different type of vehicle.

The new monitoring system is intended to identify delivery speeds that appear unusually high for the vehicle registered on an account.

For example, if someone registers as using a standard bicycle but repeatedly travels at unusually high speeds, Deliveroo may contact that rider to confirm the vehicle being used.

Reporting on the October 9 announcement describes GPS-based speed monitoring.

However, Deliveroo has not publicly disclosed the exact speed thresholds, detection algorithm, error-handling procedures, or technical safeguards used by the system.

Will Deliveroo Automatically Ban Riders for Going Too Fast?

Deliveroo says it will contact riders about unusual speeds before withdrawing platform access in cases involving knowingly incorrect vehicle registration or continuing problems.

A single unusual speed reading should not be interpreted as conclusive evidence that an electric bike has been illegally modified.

GPS measurements can be imperfect, and bicycles can legally travel faster than their motor-assistance cutoff through pedal power or downhill momentum.

The available announcement does not establish how the company will handle every possible false positive or disputed reading.

Does Riding Faster Than 15.5 MPH Make an E-Bike Illegal in the UK?

No. The distinction between bicycle speed and motor-assisted speed is important.

Under current UK rules, a qualifying electrically assisted pedal cycle, or EAPC, must stop providing motor assistance at 15.5 mph (25 km/h).

That does not mean the bicycle must physically stop traveling faster than 15.5 mph.

A rider may exceed that speed through their own pedaling effort or while traveling downhill without assistance from the motor.

An electric bike becomes legally problematic when its motor or other characteristics fail to meet the applicable EAPC requirements.

Therefore, speed data alone does not establish whether a bicycle’s motor continues providing illegal assistance.

What Are the UK Rules for Legal Electric Bikes?

In Great Britain, a qualifying electric bike is generally classified as an electrically assisted pedal cycle, commonly called an EAPC.

According to official UK government guidance, an EAPC must:

• Have pedals capable of propelling the bicycle.
• Have a motor with a maximum continuous rated power output of 250W.
• Stop providing motor assistance at 15.5 mph (25 km/h).
• Meet applicable marking and technical requirements.

The minimum rider age is 14.

A legally compliant EAPC generally does not need a driving licence, vehicle registration, road tax, or mandatory motor insurance.

Qualifying EAPCs may use cycle lanes and other places where ordinary bicycles are permitted, subject to applicable rules.

What About E-Bikes With Throttles?

The presence of a throttle does not automatically make every electric bike illegal.

However, UK rules distinguish between ordinary pedal assistance and bikes that can be propelled by motor power without pedaling.

Government guidance states that a qualifying e-bike capable of motor-only propulsion up to 15.5 mph, often described as a “twist and go” model, requires vehicle approval when the applicable approval rules apply.

For relevant models placed on the market or entering service after January 1, 2016, this generally means type approval or individual approval.

An appropriately approved twist-and-go e-bike can still qualify for EAPC treatment when it meets the other applicable requirements.

Owners should verify the approval status rather than assuming every throttle-equipped e-bike is permitted on public roads.

What Happens If an E-Bike Does Not Qualify as an EAPC?

An electric bike that exceeds the permitted continuous motor rating, continues providing motor assistance above 15.5 mph, or otherwise fails the EAPC requirements may be treated as a motorcycle or moped under road-traffic law.

Road use can then require:

• Appropriate vehicle approval
• Registration and vehicle tax
• Motor insurance
• The appropriate driving licence
• An approved motorcycle helmet

Vehicles classified as motorcycles or mopeds cannot simply use bicycle lanes as ordinary e-bikes.

The UK’s system differs from the Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 categories commonly used in the United States. My guide to electric bike classes explains the US classifications.

Why Is Deliveroo Calling for Restrictions on E-Bike Conversion Kits?

Deliveroo is urging the UK government to ban the sale of unsafe electric bike conversion kits.

Conversion kits allow a conventional pedal bicycle to be fitted with electrical components such as a motor, battery, controller, and display.

Not every conversion kit is illegal or unsafe.

A properly designed, compatible, and legally compliant conversion can provide electric assistance while meeting applicable requirements.

However, some kits allow riders to exceed the permitted motor power or assisted-speed limits. Poorly matched batteries, chargers, and electrical components can also introduce serious fire risks.

Deliveroo argues that preventing the sale of unsafe kits would help address these problems before they reach the roads.

The company’s request does not mean the UK government has already introduced a nationwide ban on e-bike conversion kits.

London Fire Brigade Supports Action on Unsafe Conversion Kits

The London Fire Brigade has publicly backed Deliveroo’s call for restrictions on unsafe conversion kits.

Richard Field, a deputy assistant commissioner at the brigade, highlighted the dangers associated with poorly installed converted bicycles and incompatible electrical components.

The brigade has warned that unsafe batteries and chargers can contribute to serious lithium-ion battery fires.

In October 9 reporting, figures attributed to the London Fire Brigade showed that it recorded 171 e-bike fires in the previous year.

That figure refers to recorded e-bike fires, not solely fires involving delivery riders or conversion kits.

The brigade recommends using reputable batteries and having conversions carried out by someone appropriately competent.

Its support is significant because it connects the debate about illegally modified high-speed bikes with the separate issue of electrical and battery safety.

Transport for London Welcomes the Campaign

Transport for London (TfL) has also welcomed Deliveroo’s Ride Safe initiative.

TfL’s support reflects the wider concern about road safety and the use of vehicles that do not meet legal requirements.

The announcement does not establish that Transport for London is introducing a new e-bike speed limit or taking over Deliveroo’s platform-enforcement responsibilities.

Those remain separate issues.

What Does This Mean for Delivery Riders?

Electric bikes are particularly useful for delivery work because they help riders travel across cities while reducing physical effort.

However, riders using legal bicycles and e-bikes may share the roads with higher-powered vehicles that fall outside ordinary bicycle rules.

Deliveroo’s new checks could affect riders whose registered vehicle details do not match what they actually use.

For riders, the important steps are to:

• Use a vehicle that complies with the applicable legal requirements.
• Keep the correct vehicle type registered with Deliveroo.
• Update vehicle details before switching vehicle types.
• Check that replacement electrical components are compatible and safe.
• Respond to Deliveroo if contacted about unusual recorded speeds.

Riders should not assume that using an e-bike with a 250W label automatically establishes legal compliance. Motor-assisted speed, vehicle approval, technical requirements, and modifications also matter.

Equally, traveling faster than 15.5 mph without motor assistance is not by itself evidence of an illegal e-bike.

How Does This Fit Into Wider UK E-Bike Enforcement?

Concerns about illegally modified electric bikes used for deliveries predate Deliveroo’s October 2026 announcement.

Electric Bike Explorer previously reported on police seizures involving delivery riders in London in September 2024.

The new development is that Deliveroo intends to use its own delivery-platform data to help identify potentially incorrectly registered or noncompliant vehicles.

This could complement police enforcement, but company account checks are not the same as establishing a criminal or road-traffic violation.

Whether the monitoring initiative improves compliance will depend on how it operates and what measurable results become available.

For now, the announced policy represents a stronger role for a delivery platform in monitoring how registered vehicles are used.

My Take

I think Deliveroo’s Ride Safe campaign raises an important question about the responsibility delivery companies have when riders use vehicles that do not meet road-safety requirements.

It makes sense for a company to check unusual vehicle activity, especially when a rider may be using a much more powerful machine than the one registered on their account.

But the difference between an illegal motor-assisted speed and an ordinary bicycle traveling downhill should not be ignored.

I would like to see Deliveroo explain more about how its monitoring system handles GPS inaccuracies, sustained speeds, legitimate faster cycling, and situations where a rider believes they were flagged incorrectly.

I also think the conversion-kit discussion needs balance.

Unsafe or illegally modified electrical systems can pose genuine dangers. At the same time, properly designed and compliant conversions should not automatically be grouped with dangerous equipment.

The real measure of this campaign will be whether it helps improve safety and legal compliance while treating legitimate delivery riders fairly.

How This Story Was Verified

This report is based on Deliveroo’s official rider-support guidance, current UK government EAPC requirements, and October 9, 2026 reporting on the Ride Safe campaign and responses from the London Fire Brigade and Transport for London.

The article distinguishes the company’s announced monitoring plans from existing UK law. It also explains the difference between total bicycle speed and motor-assisted speed.

Official Sources and Reporting

• Deliveroo Rider Support – Vehicle Speed Monitoring
• UK Government – Riding an Electric Bike: The Rules
• UK Government – EAPC Standards and Legal Requirements
• UK Government – Battery Safety for E-Cycle Users
• The Independent – Deliveroo Riders Face Ban for Using Illegal E-Bikes, October 9, 2026
• Press Association Report – Deliveroo E-Bike Enforcement, October 9, 2026