Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Deferred
Require evidence of e-scooter schemes managing negative impacts on disabled people's street access.
Recommendation
The case of e-scooters demonstrates the importance of ensuring that enforcement is not an afterthought when new elements are introduced into transport networks. Should the Government eventually seek to legislate for permanent e-scooter rental schemes or use of privately-owned e-scooters on public roads, it must not rely on saying that it is up to local authorities or police forces to use their powers to manage detrimental impacts on disabled people without proving that this can be effective. It must present evidence from the extensive rental trial schemes demonstrating that it is possible for operators and local authorities to manage such schemes in a way which does not further impair disabled people’s safe and confident access to the street environment. This may require the Government to make additional resources available for enforcement. (Recommendation, Paragraph 157)
Government Response Summary
The government notes the importance of evidence for future e-scooter regulation and intends to consult on new regulations. It is undertaking trials and evaluations until May 2026, with results to be published in due course, and has announced powers for local leaders to regulate micromobility schemes.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
38. The Department notes the Committee’s advice about the importance of supporting evidence underpinning the application of future policy and regulation to achieve the best outcomes in disabled people being able to access our streets with confidence and in safety. This will be an important consideration in the development of policy decisions on micromobility or e-scooter regulation and it is the Department’s intention to consult on any new proposed regulations before they come into force. 39. The Department is undertaking trials of rental e-scooters to assess their benefits and wider impacts, to inform options for future regulations. The trials are due to run until 31 May 2026 and are currently live in 18 areas. A second national evaluation of the e-scooter trials began in April 2025 and is due to run until May 2026. The results will be published in due course after it has concluded. This will build on learning from the first evaluation, exploring what journeys e-scooters are replacing; how they integrate with public transport; their safety for users and for others; and the accessibility impacts of e-scooters. They will also explore changing travel patterns since the coronavirus pandemic, when the trials were initially set up, and as e-scooters have become more embedded in public life. 40. Safety for all road users and pedestrians will always be a top priority, until changes are made, private e-scooters remain illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can only be used as part of the Government’s rental e-scooter trials, with the police responsible for enforcement. 41. The Department also recognises the issues of poorly parked rental e-scooters and e-cycles, particularly for those with mobility or visual impairments. That is why the Government has announced it will give local leaders the powers to regulate on-street micromobility schemes, so local areas can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport and tackle the scourge of badly parked cycles and e-cycles. All local authorities with rental e-scooters in our e-scooter trials are required to have a parking plan that ensures they do not become obstructive.