Transport for London and London Councils are requiring operators of rental electric scooters to use location based controls in their 12 month trial which starts on 7 June
Dott, Lime and Tier, the operators selected through a procurement to take part in the trial, will use geo-fencing to require that e-scooters are parked in designated bays to end each rental.
Participating London boroughs will also be able to specify ‘go-slow’ areas where scooter speeds will be limited to 8mph, rather than the scheme’s maximum of 12.5mph. Operators will also have to put riders through an online safety course before they hire an e-scooter for the first time.
“The safety of those using e-scooters, as well as other road users and pedestrians, is absolutely paramount, so it’s important that they are trialled in this rigorous way to ensure high standards,” said Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner. “We look forward to exploring the role that e-scooters could play in London’s future.”
The trial of rental e-scooters, which can only be used on roads and cycleways, will initially involve the City of London, Canary Wharf, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond upon Thames. Tower Hamlets will participate from the start as a ‘ride-through’ area which riders can travel through but not start or end journeys in.
Other boroughs may join the trial as it progresses with Lambeth and Southwark already seeking to participate.
