Written question asked by Greg Knight (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 July 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 July 2021 (named day). It was answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative) on Monday, 19 July 2021 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timetable is for (a) collating and assessing the results of the e-scooter trial and (b) reaching a decision on the potential future use of e-scooters; if he will take steps to ensure that such an assessment includes not only an appraisal of road safety issues but also assesses the prevalence of e-scooters that have been used in the commission of criminal offences; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Department has in place a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation programme for the trials. Any future rules for e-scooters may not be exactly the same as the rules in trials, but they will be based on the evidence gathered. This evaluation includes a range of data sources and approaches including data sharing arrangements with operators, surveys, interviews and focus groups with users and non-users and interviews with key local and national stakeholders. Regarding e-scooters and associated criminality, Ministers and officials have been in regular contact with senior police officers through the NPCC as well as the Home Office in order to understand any concerns and issues. However, I would note that policing is a matter for the Home Office. A final report on the trials will be published in spring 2022.

Secondary information