Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

E-scooters

Thursday 22 October 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department has started e-scooter trials in 15 areas of the UK.
  • Trials aim to gather data on journeys and assess wider impacts of e-scooters.
  • MP noted constituent support for e-scooters as an affordable and environmentally friendly option.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Pawsey Con
Transport
Context

The question follows the government's initiation of e-scooter trials in several areas to gather data on their use.

Question

What progress his Department has made in trialling e-scooters. The MP noted that 15 areas are currently participating, and more will start soon.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

We have started trials of this innovative new mode of transport, the e-scooter, in 15 areas of the country, with more to start soon. We are thoroughly gathering data on journeys. A lot of very positive feedback is already coming through and we are assessing the wider impacts.

Answered
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Q2 Mark Pawsey Con
Transport
Context

A constituent owns an e-scooter and highlighted its affordability compared to cars or motorcycles, advocating for it to be classified similarly to electric bikes due to comparable power and speed.

Question

My constituent Mark Rawinski recently bought an e-scooter, and he has been telling me that it is far more affordable than a car or a motorcycle and drawing my attention to how much better it is for the environment. There is a strong case that e-scooters should be classified as personal electric vehicles, in the same way as electric bikes are, as they have similar power and speed. Does the Minister agree?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I am absolutely delighted to hear of the support of my hon. Friend's constituent for this new, clean, green, convenient and, as he said, much more environmentally friendly mode of transport. We do support active travel and active transport, which is why we are trialling e-scooters and gathering the evidence. The evidence that we gather will inform the decisions that we make about whether to legalise e-scooters in the future. Until then, it is important to say that privately owned e-scooters should not be used on the public roads.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific classification of e-scooters as personal electric vehicles was not directly addressed; only support for active transport and gathering evidence was mentioned.

How: Supporting Active Travel, Gathering Evidence

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