New legislation allowing private e-scooter use on public roads could be included in the upcoming Queen’s Speech under government plans to tackle widespread safety issues. 

On public roads, the only legal way to use e-scooters is through official hire schemes as part of e-scooter trials

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has told MPs that the legislation could be laid down in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May as part of work to crack down on illegal e-scooter sales. 

Speaking to the Commons Transport Select Committee, Shapps said: “We will take powers to properly regulate and then be able to decide the usage of them.”

While there are more than 750,000 private e-scooters in the UK currently according to reports, most of them are being used illegally on public roads – rather than on private land which is the only place they’re actually allowed.   

On public roads, the only legal way to use e-scooters is through official hire schemes as part of e-scooter trials, which began in 2020 and are now being run in over 50 towns and cities.  

Critically, the public trials include vital safety controls such as speed restrictions, the requirement to wear a helmet, geofencing control and insurance. 

But with private e-scooters, the UK has no standards for critical aspects such as their top speed, acceleration, braking, lighting, weight distribution – and the Transport Secretary is looking to take powers to properly regulate this.   

Last month saw the independent Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) urge the Government to tackle illegal e-scooter use as it warned of a rising number of deaths among riders. Its report revealed that 15 people have now died from using e-scooters – up from 11 in 2021 and all involving illegal use of private e-scooters.   

And earlier this week, campaigners from across the transport, retail, manufacturing, legal, research and university sectors said e-scooters must be legalised across the UK to dramatically improve safety, clamping down on the hundreds of thousands of unregulated vehicles already in use. 

Commenting on the plans to bring in legislation on private e-scooter use, AA president Edmund King said: “The Government is right to address this issue and bring in regulations rather than allowing some of our cities to be over-run like the Wild West with illegal scooters. 

“Micro-mobility and e-technology can have a positive effect on movement in our cities but we must ensure that movement is safe.” 

The RAC also cautiously greeted the news.   

Head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “There’s little doubt that e-scooters have the potential to transform the way many of us move about, and potentially even cut the numbers of short journeys taken by car. Legalising private e-scooters is a big step though and it’s crucial their use is regulated to ensure the safety of both riders and everyone else using the roads. It’s also important that learnings are taken from the myriad of trials that are taking place across the country.    

“There is a lot for the Government to consider to give people confidence that introducing more e-scooters onto our roads can be done safely – such as how they can be kept off pavements and out of pedestrianised areas, and whether they should be covered by compulsory insurance and built to meet certain standards. The concerns of groups including those representing visually impaired people must also be taken on board, as in the wrong hands e-scooters can cause serious injury.   

“It’s also important to remember that road fatality numbers have plateaued in recent years, so it would be disastrous if a hasty decision to legalise all e-scooters led to an increase in deaths and serious injuries.” 

A report published by the Transport Select Committee in October 2020 after the rental trials went live lent its support to government plans to make e-scooters road-legal, but said robust enforcement measures are needed. The committee said e-scooters could bring a low-cost, accessible and eco-friendly alternative to cars, providing certain safety measures were taken, including eliminating pavement use.

A new report on e-scooter safety is also now out today from accident prevention charity RoSPA and e-scooter operator Neuron Mobility and indicates that e-scooters are significantly less risky than many other forms of transport on Britain’s roads.  

However, it makes a set of recommendations to improve the safety of e-scooters further, including further investment in road design improvements, such as segregated bike and e-scooter lanes, mandatory training on the Highway Code and the practical operation of e-scooters for all users, and awareness and training on e-scooter behaviour for other road users.