E-scooter trials are to be prolonged until late 2022 as the government weighs up legalisation, with use of public rental vehicles dwarfed by that of an estimated half million illegal e-scooters in Britain. Legislation has been put on hold amid increasing safety concerns over private unregulated e-scooters – especially with tens of thousands more vehicles expected to be sold in the UK this Christmas – and scepticism that legal e-scooters can ameliorate congestion or public health. A negative decision would come as a blow to mobility firms that have invested tens of millions of pounds to enter the UK market, which has lagged European neighbours in embracing e-scooters. Businesses have become concerned at the length of trials which were originally due to last 12 months from mid-2020, but are now being extended to November 2022. Evangelists for micromobility argue that e-scooters are far greener than cars, and are a transport solution that tackles the “last mile” from home or work, allowing users to connect to buses or trains. But influential voices in government suggest that far from switching from cars, most e-scooter users were previously cycling, walking or on public transport, which have better health benefits and environmental credentials. Meanwhile, scientists have warned that the UK’s Christmas scooter spree will consume hundreds of tonnes of precious elements, mainly lithium and cobalt in batteries. According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, unless e-scooters are used daily for many years and replace a car, their impact on the environment is ultimately damaging, with high carbon costs in manufacture as well as mining raw materials. While MPs on the transport select committee last year recommended legalisation of all e-scooters, privately owned as well as those on rental schemes, government sources suggest that ministers are far from convinced – with safety concerns at the forefront. At least nine people are known to have died in accidents using e-scooters illegally in 2021, according to the parliamentary advisory council for transport safety (Pacts). NHS trauma specialists cited in a recent Pacts report said they were now treating more and more e-scooter riders, many with “life changing head injuries”. One London-based neurosurgeon said the severity of e-scooter riders’ injuries were “more similar to those of motorcyclists than pedal cyclists”. An interim report is due to be published by the Department for Transport (DfT) showing data from the trials which started in July last year in Middlesbrough and now are taking place in 34 areas of England (with Wales and Scotland so far declining the opportunity). While the government data remains under wraps, a source said it was “not encouraging”, suggesting it showed only a small fraction of e-scooter trips replacing a car journey, with many simply riding for fun, and the biggest proportion riding instead of walking: “On those figures, there wouldn’t be a carbon saving, there would be a carbon increase.” Ministers wrote to retailers before Christmas to remind them of the law on private e-scooters, after being urged by the executive director of Pacts, David Davies, to hold them liable, as well as warn users of the risks. Davies said: “There is a lot of confusion and we’d like to see more awareness-raising … certainly some retailers are not going out of their way to inform their customers. They are significantly more risky than bicycles.” The Guide Dogs charity recently commissioned independent testing that showed a pedestrian hit by a legal e-scooter at the top permitted speed, 15.5mph, could suffer fatal injury. Operators, as well as Pacts, stress that the safety differences between legal, regulated models and private e-scooters is huge. According to Alan Clarke, director of public policy at Lime, which launched its e-scooters in Milton Keynes in August 2020, followed by Greater Manchester and London this year, the former have “two independent brakes, [are] stability tested, [with] lights you can see 300 metres away”; most people will buy a model with “small wheels, one handbrake, and not fit to be used on roads or cycle lanes.” Fred Jones, regional general manager at Tier, which operates e-scooters in 13 countries and is part of the trials in York and London, said: “What’s clear is that the majority of anecdotal issues of safety and concern is almost exclusively with the private side. If someone’s willing to do something illegal, they may have a greater disposition to do something irresponsible when riding them.” Almost 200,000 people have used Lime’s vehicles, making more than 822,000 trips, on average travelling 2km each time. While casualty reports from illegal scooters have overwhelmingly involved male riders, Clarke said rental e-scooters are used by a broad demographic across sex, race and age groups. Clarke maintains e-scooters can be part of multi-model public transport – even if for now all remain banned from London’s trains and buses after a spate of battery fires – with the busiest docks in the capital found next to tube stations. “That shows us people are using them to link into another transport mode.” The DfT says it is waiting to gather all the evidence from trials before making any decision. Meanwhile though, it has extended the deadline for a further eight months, until 30 November 2022, to get more data while tweaking the trials to introduce compulsory ID plates. Operators remain largely upbeat, despite the delay, which will have hit the business plans of the firms hoping to expand across the UK after the trials. Jones said: “Any business would love clarity for five years when you’re taking out warehouses and things.” But he remains confident e-scooters will be legalised in some form in the UK, with Ireland recently starting legislation to permit their use on roads, one of the last EU states to do so: “The momentum across Europe bodes well.”