The firm that has run a pilot scheme to hire e-scooters in Bristol and the West of England for almost two and a half years has called on the Government to finally make up its mind about the future of the machines.
Voi Technology say they can’t continue with the uncertainty of not knowing whether the Government will decide to scrap the trial, allow all e-scooters permanently or just continue allowing only hired ones on the roads of Britain.
There are 18 separate e-scooter trials going on across Britain and since the autumn of 2020, people have been legally allowed to ride e-scooters, as long as they are hired through the firms running the pilot schemes. Two-thirds of the rides in this country are on Swedish firm Voi’s scooters and Bristol has the most riders, the most rides and the most distances covered than any other city in Europe.
Read next: Love them or hate them - e-scooters are changing Bristol
But Voi has issued a plea to the Government this morning, saying the future of the e-scooter industry has to be secured by ministers making their minds up, or they risk losing the jobs and investment.
Sales of privately-owned e-scooters are still increasing, even though as it stands, riding one on in public in the UK is still illegal. Voi is calling for the UK Government to introduce a new category of vehicle classification, which will enable e-scooters to be ridden legally with the same status as e-bikes.
Voi UK’s head of public policy, Matthew Pencharz, told the Transport Select Committee today (Wednesday, February 8) that the pilot trial had shown there was huge demand from people to be allowed to ride e-scooters. “Almost three years after the trials were first started, the demand for e-scooters is proven with Voi alone having 21 million rides, replacing over 8 million car journeys,” he said.
“However, the industry doesn’t have certainty after May next year when the trials are currently due to end. Legislation will allow more cities and towns to use e-scooters as a sustainable method of transport for their communities, providing a firmer footing for the industry and the jobs and investment connected with it,” he added.
The Government’s main motive for running the trial was to test whether e-scooters were any more dangerous than bicycles, mobility scooters, mopeds or motorbikes, and they began a hire scheme trial to make sure they could restrict the e-scooters being made legal - riders have to have a driving licence and be over 16, the scooters themselves are restricted to a maximum 12mph and have number plates, with every ride traceable back to a specific hirer through an app.
The Government has a range of options but so far has simply kept extending the trial for another six months at a time since October 2020, rather than make a decision on what to do about e-scooters.
One option is that the trial is ended and e-scooters go back to being completely illegal again - with a crackdown on the present illegal use of privately-owned ones. Another option is that there is a complete free-for-all, and e-scooters have no restrictions so are treated in the same way bicycles are now. A third option is some sort of middle ground where e-scooters are treated like mobility scooters or mopeds and require a driving licence, insurance and have to be registered.
A fourth option could be to continue the present situation where only e-scooters hired through an app are legal, and privately-owned ones are illegal.
Voi said it thinks all e-scooters should be made legal. “The government should follow through with its commitment to create a new, light zero-emission vehicle category for e-scooters, which are currently subject to the same regulation as motor vehicles,” a spokesperson said.
“The UK is one of the only countries in Europe which subjects e-scooters to the same levels of regulation as cars, despite e-scooters being a fraction of the size, weight, power, and speed of motor cars.
“A new vehicle category should eliminate the need for all riders to have either provisional or full driving licences, opening up micromobility to more riders. The insurance required should be brought in line with e-bike regulation. This would enable insurance companies to create policies better suited to e-scooters. Currently operators must provide Motor Third Party Liability insurance, as for all motor vehicles,” they added.
“Government guidance should be updated to provide a more detailed framework on the management of e-scooter schemes, detailing the need for set governance structures, data driven decision making and clear goals at the local level,” they added.
Read next:
E-scooter rider caught on M5 near Bristol was 'following sat-nav on his first day at new job'
'Next generation' model of Voi e-scooters rolled out in Bristol today
E-scooters 'are five times safer than bikes' major new study has shown
Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here.
