Voi is calling on the next government to introduce a new, light zero-emission vehicle category for e-scooters in the UK, saying this should eliminate the need for all riders to have driving licences.
The micromobility operator wants this to be made a priority after the general election on 4 July, and says voters should ask parliamentary candidates about changing the requirement for people to have a driving licence to ride a rental e-scooter.
“The UK is one of the only countries in Europe which subjects e-scooters to the same levels of regulation as cars, despite e-scooters being a fraction of the size, weight, power, and speed of motor cars,” the company said last year.
“A new vehicle category should eliminate the need for all riders to have either provisional or full driving licences, opening up micromobility to more riders.”
Voi also said the insurance required should be brought in line with e-bike regulation. “This would enable insurance companies to create policies better suited to e-scooters. Currently operators must provide Motor Third Party Liability insurance, as for all motor vehicles.”
Privately-owned e-scooters cannot legally be ridden on UK public roads. In 2022, the government announced the creation of a low-speed, zero-emission vehicle category that would pave the way for their legislation, but this has seen many delays.
Several charities, e-scooter operators and retailers have also made calls for the government to bring forward legislation, but PACTS (the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) has said the likelihood of legislating for private e-scooters with regulations that set safety as the main priority in 2024 is “zero”.
> E-scooters and the law: When and where are you legally allowed to ride an electric scooter
Trials of rental e-scooters began in 2020, with the deadline extended most recently to May 2026. The maximum speed for an e-scooter is 15.5mph, and users must hold at least a provisional driving licence.
Ahead of the general election, Voi has come up with the following questions for voters to ask parliamentary candidates:
1. Will you ask the new government to fix a date for legislation to make e-scooter trials permanent?
2. Will you ask the new government to enable new towns and cities to introduce trials of their own while we wait for legislation?
3. Can you ask the new government to change the requirement for me to have a driving licence to ride a rental e-scooter because I’ve chosen not to drive a car?
> Ireland legalises 20km/h e-scooters - ‘they help free up road space’
Voi also recently called London’s e-scooter scheme the “worst out of over 100 cities in Europe” where it operates, with CEO and co-founder Fredrik Hjelm saying the heavily regulated e-scooter trials “cannot compete” with the capital’s rental e-bikes.
Hjelm said Voi may have “no option” other than to withdraw from the e-scooter trial or deploy 20,000 e-bikes to “level the playing field”. The comments closely echo those of operator Dott’s, which pulled out of the capital’s e-scooter trial after also blaming the “rapid and unregulated rise of e-bikes”.
