UK's biggest e-scooter rental operator reveals plans and timescale for first Scottish trial

Voi, which runs two-thirds of more than 20 trials south of the Border, said the next round would give Scottish councils the first opportunity to test e-scooters since the previous Conservative Westminster government launched the initial experiment four years ago.

UK general manager James Bolton said Scotland was “a core part of our goals for next year” and “very high towards the top of our agenda”.

E-scooters remain illegal on roads and pavements in Scotland, and can only be ridden on private land with the owner’s permission. However, they can be legally purchased and are a common sight on streets north of the Border.

UK Transport Secretary Louise Haigh last week left the door open to legalising private e-scooters, but next year at the earliest. Scotland’s Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop told The Scotsman in May it was an “inevitability”.

Glasgow and Midlothian were among councils to have expressed interest in rental trials, but progress has been hampered by the need for legal changes.

The Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency has now revealed it is in talks with the UK Department for Transport (DfT) over trials and “will consider whether or not to participate”.

The body said: “Legislation would need to be put in place to enable interested local authorities in Scotland to take part in the next round of trials.”

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Mr Bolton said: “We’re really keen to start working with Scottish cities to introduce some of the benefits we have already seen over the last four years in England. Speaking to the cities, we know there is a clear appetite for e-scooter trials north of the Border.

“Scotland has not been able to take part because it didn’t put its hand up right at the beginning. We’re hopeful that in the next nine months, we could see the first [trial hire scheme] e-scooters on the streets of Scotland.

“The ability to grow e-scooter usage to replace more car trips is hugely beneficial. In relation to Transport Scotland’s goals of reducing car kilometres travelled by 20 per cent [by 2030], we can point at the modal shift data we see across our cities.”

Voi operates rental schemes in 17 towns and cities, including London, Liverpool and Oxford, where its 1.8 million riders have clocked up 40 million trips.

Mr Bolton said: “Some of the concerns are around safety, which I completely understand with a new mode of transport. But over the last four years, the rates of serious accidents have fallen by over 70 per cent and are on a par with those for the electric bikes we also operate.

“Scooters are no more dangerous than bikes.”

Glasgow City Council said it had agreed to a trial in 2020, but was still awaiting “legislative clearance” from Transport Scotland.

Midlothian Council said it remained interested in a trial “where legislation and funding allow”.

The City of Edinburgh Council said: “Without Scottish legislation/guidance, it would be challenging for Edinburgh to progress or develop a trial, but we are interested to understand more about how trials are being implemented elsewhere.”