By Guy Taylor
Popular e-bike firm Humanforest has undertaken a brand refresh, dropping the human and opting for just ‘Forest’ as it doubles the size of its dark green e-bike fleet in London.
Forest said the rebrand came as the company saw bumper growth in 2023, doubling its operational zone and bike numbers in the capital amid rising demand. It also recently received £12m in Series A funding.
The e-bike operator has seen over 2m rides since 2021 and views its sustainability credentials as a means to muscle in on other major operators in the capital, such as Lime.
Michael Stewart, Forest’s chief marketing officer, said the aim was to “simplify our brand across the board”.
“Our bike looks like a tree, so let’s roll with that. We have always been and continue to be the most affordable and sustainable shared e-bike on the market, so by honing in on the visual identifiers of the brand, we’re continuing to strengthen the positive association with Forest.”
Joe Rampley, Forest’s head of design, said: “Our compound name, Humanforest, was always going to be a challenge in a market where fast service and recognisable brand identifiers are key to a customer’s experience.
Rampley said that by “reducing the brand noise we are signalling a new dawn for the company and honing-in on what makes us the best option: being the most sustainable and the most affordable.”
The rebrand comes amid soaring demand for e-bikes in London this summer, with competitor Lime recently revealing it had delivered 12m rides since 2019.
Many Londoners are now familiar with the loud ‘clacking’ noises made by Lime bikes that have been illegally broken into, but the freshly-renamed Forest fleet has so far avoided such shenanigans.
The bikes have rapidly become a staple of the city, and have seen particular demand from commuters seeking to avoid congestion and tube disruption on the way into the office.
