Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Paragraph: 34
There is currently limited evidence within the UK on how the growth of e-scooters has...
Conclusion
There is currently limited evidence within the UK on how the growth of e-scooters has affected other transport usage, and thus the modal shift which may occur as e-scooters continue to grow in popularity. In our view, it would be counter- productive if an uptake in e-scooters, whether rental or private, primarily replaced people undertaking more active and healthy forms of travel, such as walking, cycling, and even using kick-scooters. Promoting active travel must remain a key policy aim for the Department for Transport. The Department’s focus should be on encouraging the use of e-scooters to replace short car journeys rather than walking and cycling.
Paragraph Reference:
34
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government agrees with this recommendation. The types of modal shift e-scooters induce will be a key metric of ‘success’. Evaluation from overseas suggests that e-scooters can and do achieve very good levels of mode shift away from private car and taxi journeys. For instance, in Portland, Oregon, 34% of shared e-scooter users surveyed in 2018 said they would have driven a personal car or hailed a taxi if they had not taken an e-scooter for their most recent trip. But local factors—such as availability of reliable mass transit— can be expected to make a significant difference. Evaluation of circa thirty diverse e-scooter trials across England will allow for a robust assessment of the impact on mode shift e-scooters will be likely to have if they are legalised in the long run. Trip data will be made available for Government evaluation for every journey undertaken during trials and users of trial e-scooters will be surveyed and interviewed to understand the detail around the journeys they have made and the alternatives modes they would otherwise have taken.