It takes seconds to spot an e-scooter outside Southampton Central railway station. In this city, the devices have become a normal part of the transport ecosystem, alongside e-bikes. Keith Reed, arriving to catch a train to London, says rental e-scooters are the most convenient way to commute from home to the station twice a week, avoiding the worry of where to leave his bike.
Southampton hosts one of the numerous government-backed trials around England, running since 2021. But alongside the bright orange rental devices, privately owned e-scooters – illegal to ride on public roads across the UK – have proliferated. One expert described the situation as a "Wild West".
“Six years after e-scooter trials began, UK still hasn't decided on regulation, leaving illegal private scooters to proliferate.”
The same concerns come up repeatedly among local residents. Elderly pedestrian Fred calls them "a blinking nuisance". Another shopper, Martin, says he is "very concerned" whenever he sees them racing through precincts: "An accident's almost inevitable."
The trials were intended to lead to a decision on whether to make hired e-scooter schemes permanent and whether to legalise and regulate private e-scooters. Six years after the trials began across England, there is still no conclusion. Since the UK government holds responsibility for road traffic legislation across Great Britain, officials in Scotland and Wales say they are waiting on Westminster to act.
According to Department for Transport research, from January 2022 to May 2024, 36.9 million trips were made on rental e-scooters in the trials. But the delay leaves a legal grey area: private e-scooters remain illegal yet widespread, with no clear timeline for regulation. As the government dithers, the devices continue to divide opinion – a useful transport link for some, a pest on the streets for others.