Government urged to include e-scooter legislation in King’s Speech

CoMoUK organises open letter from micromobility providers and transport organisations

The government must use the upcoming King’s Speech to finally move to legalise e-scooters, according to an open letter sent to the prime minister by an alliance of transport organisations.

The open letter was organised by Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK), and is signed by operators including Lime, Voi, and Bolt. Transport and environmental organisations are also represented, as well as a series of local councillors who are keen to see the benefits of e-scooters fully realised.

The letter warns that repeated delays are having a “significant adverse impact on investment” and denying people access to flexible, affordable, low-carbon transport.

The signatories call for urgent legislation to create a new powered light vehicle class, which would give e-scooters and other e-mobility options access to public roads.

The UK is the only country in Europe that has not yet legalised e-scooters, with the government previously promising to do so “when parliamentary time allows”. The signatories say that despite repeatedly committing to legalisation, most recently in the Better Connected transport strategy published in April, the government has yet to act.

The organisation argue that the only legal way to ride an e-scooter on a public road is through one of the trial schemes in England, which started in 2020 and have been extended until May 2028.

By September 2025, the trials had clocked 71.7 million trips by 22.7 million users, with these figures expected to be significantly higher now.

The letter warns that the “endless trials” of e-scooters are leaving operators and local authorities “stuck in limbo”, as well as holding back economic growth. It also says a new legal status is the only way to resolve the problems caused by entirely unregulated, privately-owned e-scooters being ridden illegally.

The legalisation of e-scooters would create a standard set of technical specifications and safety standards that all such vehicles would have to comply with.

It would also drive investment, as well as helping the UK meet its net zero and air quality targets, and lead to improvements in public health

Richard Dilks, chief executive of CoMoUK, said: “The UK stands alone in Europe by failing to legalise e-scooters, and these continuing delays directly contradict the government’s own goals for integrated transport.

“We know from the trials that shared e-scooters are a key part of the system in the areas where they operate, with 44% of users combining rides with public transport.

“There is a huge opportunity for integration with local bus services and Great British Railways, but this potential simply cannot be realised under current legislation.

“The government has already committed to acting on this, which is welcome, but it is time to end the delays and provide the clarity and direction that the public, local authorities and operators so desperately need.”

The letter

The full text of the open letter to the Prime Minister, and a list of signatories, is below.

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to express the urgent need for legislation to create a new powered light vehicle class which would allow e-scooters and other light e-mobility options to be legalised. The current delay, despite commitments to legislate when parliamentary time allows, is having a significant adverse impact on investment and is limiting the flexible, affordable, low-carbon travel options available to people in the UK. The opportunity must be taken in the King’s Speech to include this legislation in the programme for the new Parliamentary session.

Shared e-scooters are a popular part of the micromobility landscape in many countries around the world. The UK is the only country in Europe that has not yet legalised e-scooters. The current limiting of lawful e-scooter use to fovernment trials in selected English local authorities is holding back the potential of shared e-scooters to support economic growth and improve peoples’ lives across the UK.

As you know, trials of shared e-scooters have been running since 2020 and have now been extended to May 2028. In that time, shared e-scooters have become an integral part of the transport systems throughout the UK. By September 2025, 71.7 million total trips had been taken by 22.7 million users as part of these trials; these numbers will now be even higher. 45% of active shared e-scooter users take at least one e-scooter trip per week, and 26% of users take three or more trips a week. For around half of active users, the most common reason for a shared e-scooter trip was to go to work or school.

Shared e-scooters also increase the efficiency of transport systems and reduce congestion; 76% of shared e-scooter users agree that shared micromobility makes their trips quicker, and 21% of all e-scooter rides replaced a trip by private car or taxi.

Despite these benefits, endless trials without legislation are leaving operators and local authorities stuck in limbo, limiting investment and constraining the ability of rental micromobility schemes to contribute to the government’s economic growth agenda and climate goals.

At Report Stage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, Lord Hendy stated that “we want more shared cycle schemes across the country” – there is no reason not to extend this sentiment to shared e-scooter schemes, which provide many of the same benefits as e-bikes.

he absence of long-term clarity will become an increasingly significant problem with the upcoming reform of local government. Local authorities currently have no ability to plan long-term investment around successful shared e-scooter schemes, or to fully integrate shared e-scooters into their transport plans. 44% of e-scooter users said they combined their most common e-scooter trip with public transport, representing a huge opportunity for integration with Great British Railways and local bus services, but this opportunity cannot be fully realised under the current legislation.

Finally, public perception of shared e-scooters is becoming increasingly clouded by the conduct of riders of privately owned e-scooters, who continue to illegally ride on public roads without any of the vehicle standards, user training or controls on rider behaviour that shared e-scooters benefit from. Timely legislation would help to address these issues and to drive improvements in safety and quality.

The recently published strategy for integrated transport, Better Connected, sets out a goal to expand access, improve integration and raise awareness of shared mobility, and states that for the 80% of the population that live in urban or suburban areas, “micromobility options (e.g. e-bikes and e-scooters) should be available for short trips and to support first and last mile connectivity”. The delays to legislation on e-scooters directly contradicts this goal.

It is vital that legislation is put in place soon to send a clear message to deliver clarity and direction for the public, operators and local authorities. This government has already committed to legislate for a new low-speed zero emission vehicle category when parliamentary time allows; we urge you to commit to making that time in the new Parliamentary session.

Yours sincerely,

Hal Stevenson, UK policy director, Lime
Harry Foskin, senior public policy manager, Voi Technology
Ali Onuralp Unal, general manager, Tripy
Georgia Heathman, public policy manager, Bolt UK
Adam Norris, founder, Pure Electric
Oliver Lord, head of UK and strategy, Clean Cities
Silviya Barrett, director of policy and research, Campaign for Better Transport
Rachel White, head of policy and communications, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust
Tom Fyans, chief executive, London Cycling Campaign   
Antonia Jennings, chief executive, Centre for London
Chris Todd, director, Transport Action Network
Jemima Hartshorn, director, Mums for Lungs       
Cllr Chris McGiffen, executive member highways and travel, North Northamptonshire Council
Richard Lumely, director of infrastructure and environment, Southend-on-Sea City Council
David Gibson, executive director, climate, environment and customer services, Essex County Council
Dr George Beard, head of new mobility, TRL