Calls for certainty over e-scooter trials in North East

An e-scooter company boss is frustrated by government delays to a trial in the North East.

Hire e-scooters have been trialled since 2020 and are designed to provide an environmentally friendly means of travel in towns and cities.

They have proved popular in Newcastle, been withdrawn from Sunderland and have disappeared on Teesside until there is government clarity on legislation.

The Department for Transport says it is important to assess e-scooters fully.

A spokesperson said: "It's important we carry out these trials to properly assess e-scooters and we've set out clear safety regulations and guidance for these, including on wearing helmets and speed limits."

But delays from government in the past three years has already led to fewer numbers of Ginger e-scooters on Teesside, as they were moved to a monthly rental scheme.

Paul Hodgins, chief executive of Ginger, which introduced e-scooters across across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool said: "These pilots were meant to last a year, at which point the government was going to give confirmation on whether they were going forward or not and then they would push on with legislation.

"People are using e-scooters but there aren't rules and common understanding so it's difficult for the police to enforce."

Mr Hodgins said the UK risked falling behind other countries already taking a lead with battery-operated vehicles. He has urged the government to "get on with it" because his company wants to return e-scooters to the region.

In Newcastle, e-scooters were introduced two years ago and they have travelled "more than a million miles in that time" across the city - tracked by a GPS system which prevents them from moving outside the designated trial zone.

Cormac Quinn from Neuron e-scooters said operators needed "clarity" as the Newcastle trial had been extended until 2024.

"I think it would be hugely appreciated by all the operators," he said.

"The trial has been extended two or three times now and we don't have any insight into 2024 to see if legislation will come into place."

Although many regard e-scooters as a convenient and efficient means of travel, there have been some critics.

Sarah Gayton a street access campaigner for the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) was "shocked" to find "dumped" scooters "creating dangerous trip hazards" in Newcastle.

An earlier cycle hire scheme called Mobike had to be scrapped in 2019 after a number were set on fire, abandoned or thrown into the River Tyne.

There are 23 areas of the UK conducting e-scooter trials which will run until 31 May 2024.

Beyond that, no decision has been made about their future.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].