Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 50
It is unfortunate that, due to a legal technicality, users of rental e-scooters in the...
Recommendation
It is unfortunate that, due to a legal technicality, users of rental e-scooters in the Government’s trials are required to have a driving licence. People without driving licences ought to be a key target demographic for the rental schemes, yet they are excluded. We believe the rental schemes should be accessible to the widest possible groups of people, particularly given the context of the pandemic. We are also concerned that the driving licence requirement will result in the trials not being as representative as they should have been.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government partly agrees, noting the driving licence requirement is due to existing legislation. They state they will consider all trial evidence before making specific decisions on this matter, should e-scooters be legalised in the long term.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
50
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
The government partly agrees with this recommendation. The requirement for users of e-scooters to hold some form of driving licence is as a result of existing primary legislation related to ‘motor vehicles’, which trial e-scooters remain categorised as. However, given the lack of reliable evidence, globally, on the safety of e-scooters and with much still to learn about the factors which can positively influence the safety of both e-scooter users and non-users alike, the Government will consider all the evidence from trials before making any specific decisions on this matter, should e-scooters be legalised in the long run.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗