Shared Scooters

Shared e-scooters

Shared e-scooters have become a popular part of the micromobility landscape in many countries around the world. They have not been lawful in the UK, however the UK Government is now working with local authorities and operators to run a series of trials of rental e-scooters.

CoMoUK always strives to positively influence and shape the evolution of the shared mobility sector. Its remit is for the public benefit of shared transport and so it is supportive of the exploration and piloting of shared e-scooters to help assess their contribution as a transport mode and how they can be most successfully deployed in these evolving times alongside bike share and car share alongside public transport, walking and private cycling.

CoMoUK has created a set of high-level principles to guide the development of the trials.

CoMoUK high-level principles for shared e-scooter rental trials June 2020

How they work

Like bike share schemes, e-scooters can be located, booked and unlocked through an app on a smart phone. Fitted with batteries, the e-scooters allow users to ‘twist and go’ (or press a button) and glide along at up to a maximum speed of 15.5 mph with lower speeds caps in some geofenced in certain areas.  

There are several different operational models using a range of on-street solutions and durations of hires. Read more here:

Operational models and terminology