E-scooters (Review and Awareness )

1st reading
Wednesday 27th November 2024 Commons Chamber

Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23)

14:29

[Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab)]

I beg to move that leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to commission and publish a review of the legislation and guidance relating to e-scooters; to place a duty on the Secretary of State to promote public awareness of legislation relating to the use of e-scooters; and for connected purposes.

Almost two years to the day since I brought the first debate to this House on the antisocial use of e-bikes and e-scooters—it is quite pertinent to be following the statement on respect orders, and I too would be interested in having a trial area; just getting that in there—I am introducing this Bill today to highlight an issue of much concern to the many constituents in Newport East who frequently raise with me the antisocial and sometimes dangerous use of e-scooters and e-bikes. I would like to thank those residents and Newport councillors, particularly in hotspot areas in my constituency, for talking to me about this.

As we have all seen, the landscape on our roads has changed dramatically over recent years. The use of e-scooters has exploded—it was estimated last year that e-scooter ownership is now close to 1 million in England alone—but legislation has just not kept up with this trend. Our legislation is years behind that of other countries. The Bill is about asking the Government to address that quickly—I know that there have been positive moves in that direction—and, particularly as we approach Christmas, when many people may be tempted to buy them as presents, to remind potential buyers of the law.

It is fair to say at the outset that there is clearly a place for e-scooters in the transport mix. They can play a positive role in increasing transport choice while reducing pollution and congestion. They are particularly important for young people with lower spending power and car ownership. As one of my constituents put it:

“I use one as a disabled person as I find it easier than a mobility scooter. I am reluctant to go out and about more for fear of losing it. It’s a cheap form of transport for the low paid and safety will only improve with legislation”.

However, for many, e-scooters are a source of great anxiety. As I said earlier, many people have raised this with me, including local scout groups and others. Recently, I asked constituents more widely for their thoughts, and here are some of their quotes. One said:

“Some of the people riding these scooters and e-bikes have no regard for other people or the elderly”.

Another said:

“The majority ruin it for the few that use them correctly. They are frequently used for blatant drug running and by people who have zero concern for pedestrian or driver safety.”

An older resident of nearly 75 told me of her experience of nearly getting knocked over while walking her dog. She said that it really frightened her, while another said:

“My boy is a full-time wheelchair user. I have lost count of the amount of times we have nearly collided with e-bikes and scooters travelling at speed”

on pavements. Another resident said that

“unfortunately...they are often used for drugs runs. Riders have masks over their faces and cut over the roundabout at the bottom of Somerton Bridge with no due care and attention to other drivers and pedestrians.”

Of course, we should also consider the impact on the visually impaired, which is often highlighted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People. I have mentioned this in a previous debate that I held on the matter.

Those complaints are from constituents who live in Newport, where e-scooter use is illegal, because e-scooter usage is only legal on our roads and cycleways as part of a public hire scheme where a trial is taking place. Trials have been running in locations across England since 2020, but there are none that I know of in Wales and Scotland, where I believe there was a lack of consultation by the last Government with the devolved Governments. There are currently 19 locations where trials are active. If someone hires a scooter as part of a trial, there are restrictions on weight and on speed, with a maximum of 15.5 mph, and the scooter has to have lights. The person has to have a valid driving licence and the hire scheme operator must have a motor vehicle insurance policy. They must meet those legal requirements.

Beyond these hire schemes, however, while the sale of e-scooters is legal, the use of a privately owned e-scooter on public land, including roads, pavements and cycle routes, is illegal and can lead to prosecution. Despite this legal position, sales have rapidly increased. The problem is that because they are unregulated there are no limits on speed, with some for sale online capable of being tampered with and reaching up to 60 mph; there is no requirement for them to have lights, sound or any audible alert system; there is no requirement for people to wear helmets; there is no available insurance or requirements around their maintenance; and there are no restrictions on their weight, with some e-scooters reported to weigh up to 70 kg.

These are clearly not toys, and when collisions occur, victims can face serious injuries. It is the Motor Insurers Bureau that picks up the bill for any compensation, thereby pushing up motor insurance premiums for all. In 2023, the year for which the most recent figures are available, there were almost 1,300 collisions involving e-scooters, and six deaths. I know that this issue has been raised with many hon. Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley (Tahir Ali), who had a particular issue involving an accident recently.

There is also the issue of toxic lithium battery fires, with an e-bike or e-scooter fire occurring once every two days in London in 2023. As the Minister said in a Westminster Hall debate before the election, they are often the result of unregulated e-scooters, bought from retailers abroad, that fail to meet UK safety standards. On that point, I strongly welcome the Government’s commitment to introduce the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to address this fire risk.

I also welcome confirmation this week from the Home Secretary and Ministers regarding the implementation of Labour’s manifesto pledge to strengthen the law around vehicles used for antisocial behaviour so that they can be seized when such behaviour occurs without the police having to go through a lengthy process of issuing multiple warnings that delay action.

I very much want to thank Gwent police, which is doing what it can in tough circumstances to crack down on this. It has had success in seizing a number of e-scooters and e-bikes engaged in antisocial behaviour and criminality, particularly drug dealing. The penalties can include confiscation, £300 fines, six points on a driving licence and a criminal record. Gwent police has also taken the lead with social media campaigns around Christmas, but I would welcome more back-up from the Department for Transport and the Home Office on enforcement and public awareness campaigns, particularly in the run-up to Christmas. This very much forms part of today’s Bill.

Buying e-scooters online is easy. Just a cursory search brings up well-known high street retailers that display reasonably prominent disclaimers but then go on to describe the e-scooter as

“the perfect fit for daily commuting”,

and state that you can

“get wherever you need without hassle”.

Lesser-known retailers often hide the disclaimers, or do not have one at all, and sell e-scooters capable of reaching 40, 50 and even 60 mph.

As well as raising awareness about the current law, I am asking the Government to review where we are now, after nearly five years of trials, with a view to legislating. Trials are just that: they are tests. In 2022, the last Government promised to introduce a transport Bill, but it never came, and e-scooter trials were extended earlier this year, before the election, for a fourth time to May 2026. This leaves us as one of the last few European countries not to have legislated on this.

I therefore welcome the Secretary of State committing just a fortnight ago to look ahead for opportunities to introduce this much-needed and long-overdue legislation. In considering their options, I know that Ministers will hear and consider the experiences and recommendations of key stakeholders, including the police, who are currently looking at stricter penalties and restrictions on sales and imports, and Sustrans, which is asking for tighter regulation of e-scooter construction and specifications such as speed, weight and safety requirements, as well as co-operation to solve pavement parking issues.

It is on the basis of those experiences, suggestions and of course the trial data that my Bill asks that the existing legislation and guidance be reviewed, and public awareness be raised to provide a clear, settled and long-term legislative solution to the challenges as well as the opportunities that e-scooters present, so that we can make our roads safer for riders, pedestrians and other road users. I urge colleagues to support it.

Question put and agreed to.

Ordered,

That Jessica Morden, Gill German, Mr Alex Barros-Curtis, Catherine Fookes, Tonia Antoniazzi, Ruth Jones and Steve Witherden present the Bill.

Jessica Morden accordingly presented the Bill.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 14 March 2025, and to be printed (Bill 140).