Personnel at RAF Marham in Norfolk have been issued with e-scooters to move about the base as part of an initiative to encourage greener travel.

After first making reference to Maverick’s Kawasaki Ninja motorbike in Top Gun, the Mail on Sunday reports that 90 e-scooters have been purchased as part of ‘Operation Astra’.

RAF Marham covers 667 hectares and pilots and other staff had previously made use of a shuttle bus to get between three different locations.

Marham station commander Group Captain Jim Beck said the purchase of the e-scooters was an effort to reduce the need for this.

“We have introduced e-scooters for our personnel to reduce carbon vehicle use,” he said. “This has enabled greener and more flexible transport with the added bonus of saving money.”

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It’s been reported that this simple move has resulted in plans for a new £500,000 car park being scrapped.

While trials of rented scooters covered by a motor vehicle insurance policy have been taking place in a number of towns and cities around the UK since the government lifted a ban in July 2020, it is still against the law to use a privately owned e-scooter in a public place.

As far as we can tell, the RAF’s e-scooters are only intended for use on the base.