Recommendation 21

HM Government Acknowledged

The Government partly agrees (21). E-scooters have the potential to provide a sustainable form of travel across the country. They have a low environmental impact and carbon footprint when compared, for example, to private cars and they contribute very little to noise pollution and result in zero tailpipe emissions, which could help contribute to improved air quality, if legalised. However, the overall environmental sustainability of e-scooters will be significantly influenced by vehicle design, the materials used and operational procedures adopted. The Government is pleased that a number of operators taking part in national trials are opting to use vehicles with swappable batteries, and that greener forms of transport (such as e-cargo bikes, bikes with trailers and e-vehicles) are being used by a number of companies to redistribute vehicles, for maintenance works and to collect and charge vehicles without swappable batteries. We also note that the longevity of e-scooter vehicles has been reported to have increased significantly across the last three years, and that, when they reach the end of their rental service, many companies recondition and sell on vehicles. However, the Government guidance for areas taking part in trials—which preceded the TSC enquiry and this recommendation—requested that local areas consider relevant local level policy objectives were set out when designing trials and selecting operators. In many cases this led to local objectives around carbon reduction and improved air quality being cited, but it was not a condition set by the Government (see https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-local-areas-and-rental-operators/ e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-local-areas-and-rental-operators#eligibility-and-dft-trial- requirements). If trials prove to be successful and the Government chooses to legalise e-scooters in the long run, then environmental sustainability will undoubtedly be a key consideration. As such, the Government agrees with the recommendation (22) that environmental impacts be monitored. This forms a key component of the cost benefit analysis that third party research contractors will produce for national e-scooter trials, and which will help inform any longer term policy decisions.