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A new poll from micromobility operator Voi has found that a majority of people want e-scooter legislation to be updated.
The new research, commissioned by Voi and carried out by polling company Attest, found that 80% of respondents are supportive of new regulation for e-scooters, with 70% wanting legislation introduced before the next general election.
Rental e-scooter trials have been in operation in the UK since 2020, with the trials extended three times, while privately-owned e-scooters are still illegal on public roads.
The Government previously set out plans to introduce a new vehicle category for e-scooters, but it is not clear when this new legislation will come into effect.
Jack Samler, general manager for Voi UK, Ireland and France, said: “E-scooter trials have been a huge success across the country.
“This poll shows it’s time for the Government to make rental e-scooters permanent and clear up confusion about private e-scooters by making time for the appropriate legislation.
“The introduction of new, robust regulations will improve safety whilst providing access to affordable, sustainable, convenient transport for millions of people.”
Legislation is due to create a new light zero-emission vehicle category, to better regulate e-scooters across areas such as insurance, vehicle standards and user requirements.
The Voi poll, which involved 2,000 respondents aged between 18-64, found that 59.9% of people are ‘very supportive’ or ‘fairly supportive’ of new measures to regulate the use of e-scooters – when those who responded ‘I don’t know’ or ‘Neutral’ are removed, the support levels rise to 81%.
This is compared to only 14.2% who are ‘not supportive’ or ‘not very supportive’ of the government’s proposed new measures.
The survey also found that over 70% (72.7%) of people think the new regulations should be introduced before the next General Election.
Only 13.3% of people did not think regulations should be introduced before the election.
Support for regulation was clear across all age groups, with 68% of those aged 18-39 and 77% of over 40s agreeing that legislation should be introduced before the next General Election.
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The Voi survey also asked public attitudes on whether people thought the government had been effective in their attempts to tackle illegal private e-scooter use. More than half (55.7%) of people thought the Government had not been effective, with only 26% thinking the government had been successful in its attempts.
