The CEO of e-scooter operator Ginger, Paul Hodgins, has said it is “highly irresponsible” for the Government to keep “kicking the can down the road” and delaying e-scooter legislation.
Speaking to Cheshire Live, Hodgins, a former Conservative leader of Richmond Council, said the Government doesn’t “want to take any risks ahead of an election,” adding: “They are looking out for their own interests, not the interests of the country.”
The Government first announced plans for a new regulatory framework through a Transport Bill in last year’s Queen’s Speech. It said this would pave the way for e-scooters to be legalised through the creation of a low-speed, zero-emission vehicle category.
However, this has since seen several delays. National shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) said the Government was “falling behind the rest of the world”, after there was no update on legislation in November’s King’s Speech.
While it is currently illegal to ride privately-owned e-scooters on public roads, the vehicles can be rented as part of UK trials. According to the BBC, the Government has now promised to extend existing trials till May 2026.
A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said: “Safety is at the heart of our e-scooter trials which is why we are extending them to May 2026, in order to gather further evidence as the technology develops and to ensure any future legislation balances safety, user accountability and market growth.
“We will consult in due course on the detail of possible regulations, including minimum rider ages and maximum speeds - this will provide vital information to help shape next steps."
From December 5, all new and existing active users have had to provide their name and driving licence number and submit a photograph of the front of the driving licence.
“Operators must ensure they have robust systems in place for capturing and storing this information and sharing it with the police if requested,” said the DfT. “This can be done via a third-party provider, as long as the licence details can be retrieved by the operator.”
Hodgins said Ginger - which operates in locations including Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Milton Keynes, Whitehaven, Chester, Scunthorpe, and Great Yarmouth - had already required this information since the start of its trials.
Hodgins said: “Across the country, approximately 400 pedestrians, 100 cyclists, and 1,500 car/van drivers and passengers are killed a year, almost all caused by cars and larger vehicles. Ten times this number are seriously injured. The average occupancy of a car is 1.2, which means that more than 80% of the energy and cost used for most journeys is simply thrown out the window. It's entirely wasteful.
"In a cost of living crisis, high energy costs, the desire to clean up air and giving people better options to reduce carbon emissions, we need to be enabling people to choose other options. E-scooters and e-bikes are only part of the new set of small vehicles being made available around the world.
“Moreover, this is where local transport is going. We need to be enabling new industries and new jobs in the UK, not waiting for the rest of the world to develop them and just importing them. The auto industry is obviously very important for Cheshire. We need to keep the transport industry strong to create the jobs of the future, as usage habits change.
“I am not in favour of penalising cars. I own and use one myself. But we all need to be given the option to choose the right vehicle for the right journey. It will reduce energy usage, create much more space on the road. Low speed and small vehicles are much safer, and they are great ways to get around and experience our fantastic towns like Chester.”
