At Southampton Central railway station, Keith Reed parks his bright orange rental e-scooter and heads for the London train. “It's just the most convenient way to commute from home to the station and back,” he says. Twice a week, Keith uses the government-backed trial scheme that has been running in this city since 2021. His alternative – a bike – would force him to worry about where to leave it.
But within minutes of leaving the station, another kind of e-scooter appears: a privately owned one, ridden illegally along the pavement outside a parade of shops. The rider refuses to stop and talk. Privately owned e-scooters are illegal on public roads and pavements across the UK, yet they have proliferated anyway. One expert describes the situation as a “Wild West”.
“UK government stalls on e-scooter regulation after six-year trials, leaving illegal riders and pedestrians in conflict.”
Pedestrians in Southampton voice the same fears. Elderly shopper Fred calls them “a blinking nuisance”. Another, Martin, says he is “very concerned” whenever he sees them racing through precincts: “An accident's almost inevitable.”
The government's trials – spread across England – were supposed to provide evidence for a final decision: whether to make rental schemes permanent and whether to legalise and regulate private e-scooters. Six years on, there is still no conclusion. Because Westminster controls road traffic legislation for Great Britain, officials in Scotland and Wales say they are waiting for the UK government to act.
The Department for Transport defines an e-scooter as having no pedals, two wheels, and a maximum continuous power rating of 500W. According to DfT research, from January 2022 to May 2024, 36.9 million trips were made on rental e-scooters under the trials – a sign of popularity. Yet the delay leaves users like Keith unsure if the scheme will last, while riders of illegal private scooters face no clear enforcement.
As the government dithers, the questions remain: are e-scooters a useful part of the transport offer, or a pest on our streets? And how long can the country afford to wait for an answer?