The UK micromobility industry says it has once again been ‘left disappointed’ after the King’s Speech made no mention of legislation for e-scooters.
E-scooters remain illegal for private use on UK public roads and are only permitted through government-backed rental trials operated by companies like Voi, Lime and Dott.
What began as a national trial in July 2020 remains ongoing, having now been extended for a fifth time until May 2028.
Zag Daily says last year appeared to mark a turning point for the sector when the government signalled its intention to introduce regulation covering e-scooters, delivery robots and other forms of last-mile transport.
The sector had been watching the speech closely for signs that those plans would finally move forward. However, the speech failed to deliver on industry hopes, the Zag Daily adds.
In a comment to Zag Daily, a DfT spokesperson said: “We are taking a careful, evidence-led approach – with our national trial and international regulation assessments due later this year.
“We will also consult on detailed e-scooter regulation proposals over the next year and look to legislate as soon as Parliamentary time allows.”
The UK’s original e-scooter trial launched in July 2020 and was initially scheduled to run until November 2021. Its first extension to March 2022 was introduced to allow more time for evidence gathering following disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A second extension to November 2022 followed updated guidance from the DfT, while a third extension to May 2024 was again justified on the grounds of further evidence and analysis. The fourth extension to May 2026 was intended to help the DfT “build on current learning” around usage, safety and environmental impact, while also assessing how travel patterns had evolved since the pandemic.
Now running until May 2028, the latest extension introduced the possibility for new towns and cities to join the trials if they can offer a “new feature” or “unique local characteristic”. According to the government, the extension is intended to “fill evidence gaps” and gather further insight into e-scooter safety, the impact of the new local characteristics and wider government targets.
Voi, which operates e-scooters in several towns and cities across England, is one operator that expressed disappointment at the absence of legislation from today’s announcement.
“The UK has made a decision to fall behind other European countries when it comes to micromobility,” said Christina Moe Gjerde, VP of Northern Europe at Voi.
Alice Pleasant, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Lime, said that the UK’s e-scooter trials have “already demonstrated” public demand.
“There needs to be standardised regulation so that operators, local authorities and riders alike can reap the benefits of e-scooters while ensuring they are safe, accessible and well integrated into the wider transport network,” Pleasant said.
Richard Dilks, Chief Executive of the UK charity for shared transport CoMoUK called the lack of e-scooter legislation “deeply frustrating”.
“The UK remains the only country in Europe that has not yet legalised them and these continuing delays directly contradict the government’s own goals for integrated transport,” Dilks said.
For shared operators, Zag Daily reports that the continued uncertainty over the long-term future of e-scooters in the UK creates a difficult investment environment. Private scooters add to the complex landscape, being widely available to purchase online whilst illegal to ride on public roads.
The government itself acknowledged in its Road Safety Strategy that the illegal use of micromobility vehicles had been “left unaddressed for too long”.
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