Mythbuster: The regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes
Background
E-scooters and e-bikes offer a more flexible approach to active travel and transport. Attaching small motors to bicycles and scooters allows users to travel over longer distances using less effort. Micromobility vehicle hire schemes can be established quickly and with little infrastructure, promote clean air and active travel, and they are being driven forward by private companies responding to market demand, unlike most forms of public transit.
While micromobility is popular, implementation has had challenges. Half of Londoners aged 18 to 34 use shared e-bikes each week according to Lime. Yet anger over poor rider behaviour such as skipping red lights, pavement clutter and injuries in crash situations has led to a notable backlash.
The regulatory system governing their use is incoherent and needs urgent reform to overcome widespread issues. It’s currently illegal to use privately-owned e-scooters on public roads, and the hire scheme trials meant to evaluate their use have been going on since 2020. Meanwhile the regulations governing hire e-bikes are a ‘Wild West’ of rules that differ council-to-council, and a new system is not currently scheduled to come in until 2028.
The current state of play
It is currently illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on public roads in Britain. Yet because it’s legal to sell them (they can be ridden legally on private land), the ban is widely flouted. This situation stems from the fact that e-scooters are classed as ‘motor vehicles’ under existing legislation, necessitating a set of requirements such as insurance, tax and licensing which e-scooters cannot meet.
The Government has been trailing e-scooter hire schemes. These were launched in 2020 to examine how e-scooters can be managed on Britain’s roads. Trials are currently operating across 21 areas in England, aiming to ‘build robust evidence about the safety, public perceptions and wider impacts of e-scooters’. However, the trial period has been extended five times, with the end date moving from 2021 to 2028.
A consultation on e-scooter use has been promised over the next year. However, the Government has committed to legislative reform only ‘when parliamentary time allows.’
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 contains provisions to create a coherent regulatory framework for hire e-bike use. In London TfL will have the power to license e-bike operators and create a uniform sets of rules. However, a consultation and secondary legislation is required before the new system can be implemented, and on current timelines will not be in place until at least 2028. This has led to justifiable criticism from Mayors and e-bike operators.
Further action
E-scooters should be legalised. After years of trials, e-scooters should be legalised and placed under the same regulations as e-bikes. While it’s important to integrate e-scooters well into the urban fabric through appropriate restrictions on speed and safety and sensible parking, they should be allowed on our roads, aligning Britain with the rest of Europe.
A new regulatory framework for e-bikes should be implemented as soon as possible. Mayors should have control over whether e-bikes can be used across entire cities, rather than allowing individual councils to create a patchwork of regulations. The Government should cease dithering and bring forward the implementation of the new system.
Local authorities and police forces must continue to tackle bad riding and parking behaviour. Tools such as CCTV and traffic stops can help deter dangerous cycling behaviour, while many councils have been seizing badly parked bikes. Users of e-bikes and e-scooters must not get special treatment and should respect the rules of the road as with any form of transport.
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