Londoners have been warned that they could face fines of up to £300 for riding an electric scooter in the capital as greener vehicle trials extend across the capital.
Riders can be fined for using e-scooters outside of trial areas, with the vehicles only allowed to operate in certain areas of London.
In total, only 11 boroughs are currently operating e-scooter trials across London, with Wandsworth becoming the latest region to join.
Under the trial, the council will allow operators Voi and Lime to offer rental e-scooters to Londoners who can ride them on the streets and in designated spots.
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Thousands of e-scooters have been used in criminal activities
TFL
While greener transport hopes to benefit the environment as well as encourage drivers to give up their cars, electric scooters have become a persistent problem for pedestrians.
Despite the scooters only being allowed to operate in trial areas, growing interest has made the vehicles more attractive for criminals who have been caught operating the vehicles for illegal activities.
According to City of London police reports, more than 1,000 smartphones were stolen last year from riders on e-bikes and e-scooters, which prompted the force to act.
Since July 2023, the police have seized over 500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, which have been linked to crime across London.
E-scooters in London have expanded significantly over the last four years, with the area the vehicles are allowed to operate in now spanning 300 km², with a total number of parking bays of 1,300.
Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: "The data clearly shows that the rental e-scooter trial has helped to boost sustainable and active travel transport in our city, with over five million journeys made since it launched, and it has also laid bare the significant difference in safety between private and rental scooters.
"It's really pleasing that Wandsworth Council have become the latest borough to join the trial as we continue to build a greener, safer and more accessible city for everyone."
Meanwhile, Helen Sharp, TfL's e-scooter trial lead, explained that more than five million trips have already been made on rental e-scooters in London.
"We continue to put safety at the heart of the trial and regularly review trial performance to ensure that the scheme works for both users and non-users of the service," she added.
Commenting on the new trial, Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport at Wandsworth Council, shared: "We want to support people in Wandsworth to make more sustainable travel choices if they can, and this e-scooter trial will allow us to see if rental e-scooters can offer a safe and convenient alternative to car journeys.
"We’ll be monitoring the trial closely and listening to residents' feedback to make sure it works for everyone in the borough."
According to Transport for London, rental vehicles need to meet high safety standards, including a speed limit of 12.5mph.
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E-scooters can only be used in trial areas across the UK
TFL
If caught riding a private e-scooter on public roads, riders can be slapped with a fixed penalty of £300 or six points on a licence for driving a motor vehicle with no insurance.
The transport authority noted that as e-bikes and e-scooters grow in popularity, "long-term regulation is needed to provide cities with powers to manage rental e-scooter schemes on a permanent basis and regulate private e-scooters with the minimum hardware standards on par with rental e-scooters".
