UK e-scooter sharing schemes remaining in trial stages

Source: Zag Daily

The UK’s All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Micromobility met early in September to discuss the status of the rental e-scooter trials. Five years on from the first trial scheme, the UK is now one of the last countries in Europe without permanent e-scooter regulation.

Speakers at the meeting included MPs and peers from the APPG, plus representatives of shared-mobility operating companies.

Successes

More than 30 cities across England have implemented trial schemes, and the trials were extended by the government to May 2028, which Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said “assures users their transport mode for the next three years.” 

Will Norman, the Walking and Cycling Commissioner for London, reflected on the capital’s trials, stating that 90% of riders comply with the geofenced bays, and that “space is the key currency” for shared micromobility to function effectively. Overall, he said that London’s trial schemes have provided “an opportunity to see what role these scooters might play in London’s mobility mix.”

Beyond the capital, the meeting heard from Andrew Gant of Oxfordshire County Council, who described the trial as a huge success, with almost a million Voi trips made in the city, and over 1,100 shared scooters and 200 e-bikes in circulation. Voi’s Public Policy Manager, Harry Foskin, stated that 45 million UK Voi trips have been made since 2020; according to rider surveys, 14 million of these replaced car journeys, giving a clear indication of how micromobility can reduce reliance on personal motorised transport.

Challenges

The continued lack of clear regulation remains a clear challenge, acknowledged by all stakeholders, from government, local authorities, and operators.

The government has signaled its intention to create a Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle (LZEV) category which would include e-scooters; however no timeline has been set for finalising the new regulations, leaving many stakeholders in a state of limbo, and limiting progress on investment, safety, and decarbonisation of mobility. Shared-mobility charity CoMoUK welcomed the intent for legislation, but urged the wider adoption of “public policies to embed shared e-bikes and e-scooters.”

The policy team for TIER-Dott said that now being in “year five of what was meant to be a one-year trial” was effectively undermining investment, from both the public and private sector. Harry Foskin of Voi added, “so far we haven’t really scratched the surface because we remain in trial. The genie is out of the bottle with e-scooters, they’re here to stay.”

Lime’s Public Affairs Manager, Leanne Gaffney-Berkely, highlighted data from Transport for London which shows low e-scooter injury rates, challenging common perceptions. She advised that the sector is being held back in part by the public’s confusion between illegal private scooters, and legal shared-mobility schemes. “The next step must be a proper, long-term legal framework,” she said. 

Beyond legislation, e-scooter parking remains a key issue. Oxfordshire’s Andrew Gant described how GPS failures had sometimes resulted in a “scooter parking free-for-all,” and suggested that moving of parking bays onto the carriageway could be a solution to managing limited space. He also called for trials to “give the community choices which will benefit them.”