New polling shows public support for e-scooter regulation before the next General Election

A Voi e-scooter in Cambridge CREDIT: Voi

London Friday 7 July 2023: Rental e-scooters should be made permanent as soon as possible according to a recent poll.

At the moment rental e-scooters are only available through government trials in over 30 towns and cities around England. It is illegal to use private e-scooters on public roads.

The trials started in August 2020 and have been extended three times, delaying legislation and causing general confusion about the legal use of e-scooters.

Meanwhile, rental e-scooters have gone from strength to strength. People using UK’s leading rental e-scooter company, Voi, have taken 25 million rides in England since September 2020, with positive environmental and economic impacts on cities and towns.

Now Voi has revealed that over 80% of the general public are supportive of new regulatory measures for e-scooters - and over 70% want them introduced before the next General Election, which is most likely to be held next year.

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  poll, commissioned by Voi and carried out by leading polling company Attest, found there is significant support across England for regulations to be introduced in this year’s King’s Speech. 

The survey, which questioned 2,000 people aged 18-64, found that 59.9% 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. 

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. 55.7% of people thought the government had not been effective, with only 26% thinking the government had been successful in its attempts. 

Ends

Notes to editors

The  poll, commissioned by Voi and carried out by leading polling company Attest between 10-16 May this year.

For further information, please contact: 

Juliette Maxam, Senior PR manager, Voi UK, Ireland and France

juliette.maxam@voiapp.io

About Voi 

Founded in 2018, Voi is a Swedish micromobility company offering e-scooter and e-bike sharing in partnership with towns, cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our towns and cities in the future. We want to ensure that the micromobility transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with towns, cities and governments and by adapting our products to local needs. Voi’s holistic Environmental Action Plan tackles emissions and promotes renewable energy use and circularity along its supply chain. 

Voi operates in over 100 towns and cities across 11 countries. It is headquartered in Stockholm and employs 1,000 people. To date, Voi boasts more than seven million riders and has served more than 150+ million rides.