Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 4
4
The Department, working with local authorities, must collect data during the rental trials on the...
Conclusion
The Department, working with local authorities, must collect data during the rental trials on the modal shift observed with e-scooters. Should privately-owned e-scooters and rental e-scooter schemes be fully legalised, the Department should use this evidence base to publish its aspirations for modal shift in the medium to long term, with particular focus on how people can be encouraged to switch from the car to an e-scooter for some short journeys. (Paragraph 35) Accessibility of e-scooters
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.