Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department are considering introducing a requirement for users to (a) licence and (b) insure (1) e bikes and (2) e scooters.

There are no plans to require the licensing or insurance of e-bikes. A previous detailed review of licensing and insurance for all cyclists (including e-bike users) concluded that the cost and complexity of introducing such a system would far outweigh the benefits.

Private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements. Rental e-scooters can only be used as part of the Government’s national rental e-scooter trials, in which e-scooters must be covered by a motor vehicle insurance policy, and users must have at least a provisional driving licence.

The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which is likely to include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows. No decisions on future micromobility legislation have yet been made and we will use evidence from the trials to learn how to effectively and safely regulate them.