Great Western Railway set to ban e-scooters

A train operator is to ban e-scooters following "a number of incidents".

Great Western Railway (GWR) will not allow customers to bring e-scooters on to its trains and stations from 21 May.

In a statement the company said the decision followed incidents on the UK rail and tube network where e-scooters with lithium-ion batteries were "associated with severe overheating, increasing the risk of a fire".

The ban will also apply to GWR staff.

E-scooters have already been banned by other organisations across the country including rail operator Northern, Transport for London (TfL) and Nexus, which operates Tyne and Wear Metro and the Shields Ferry.

GWR said unlike other devices such as e-bikes or mobility scooters, e-scooters were not regulated and are not required to meet "minimum safety standards for vehicles".

Customers bringing e-scooters on to GWR trains or stations will be asked to leave, while unattended e-scooters will be treated as abandoned and will be safely disposed of, according to GWR.

The operator said the same policy would also apply to all its premises.

Paul Gentleman from GWR told BBC Radio Berkshire he would like to see more regulation of e-scooters.

He said: "These things at some point will need some sort of regulations in terms of their safety, not only in terms of using them going around, but also the actual technology that is built within them."

Mr Gentleman said the decision taken by GWR was "difficult" but "sensible".

Currently, there is not a specific law for e-scooters so they are recognised as "powered transporters" - falling under the same laws and regulations as motor vehicles.

Private e-scooters can only be used on private land and not on public roads, cycle lanes or pavements.

The only e-scooters that can be used on public roads are those that are rented as part of government-backed trials.

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