Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that riders of motorised scooters are aware of their safety responsibilities on pavements; and if he will make a statement.

Motorised scooters may refer to either e-scooters or electric mobility scooters and/or powered wheelchairs which are classified as invalid carriages. Trials of rental e-scooters are currently being run by the Department to assess their safety and wider impacts.

For the e-scooter trials, it is a requirement for all operators involved in the trials to provide training to users. This takes place in various forms: apps; training videos; face-to-face training. It is illegal to use any e-scooter in spaces which are set aside for use by pedestrians and horse-riders, this includes the pavement. E-scooters used in trial areas can be used on cycle paths and tracks. We have asked operators in trial areas to develop more robust geo-fencing to tackle pavement riding and other anti-social behaviour. Outside of the trials, e-scooters remain illegal to use, unless ridden on private land with the permission of the landowner.

The Department has published an information sheet for mobility scooter users including where they can be used and how the Highway Code applies to them. It is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobility-scooters-and-powered-wheelchairs-on-the-road-some-guidance-for-users.

There are no plans to provide approved routes for either type of vehicle. Local authorities are responsible for running the trials and are able to control how the trials run in their areas, it is for them to determine if they wish to implement approved routes.