ELECTRIC SCOOTERS: WHY YORK?

BY JOE LEE

IN JULY 2020, to reduce overcrowding of public transport, the UK began 31 trials of E-Scooters. The E-Scooter hire company ‘Tier’ was selected to head this trial as scooters were placed all around the country, one hundred of which were placed at the University of York. But how was this form of public transport popularised and how safe can it be?

E-Scooters first came to fame in America, and not for the best reasons. In an almost overnight littering, E-Scooters appeared throughout major cities like San Francisco as companies like ‘BIRD’ and ‘Lime’ put their products on the streets without licenses or permission from city officials. The city was then flooded with these scooters, leading to public fears for safety when traversing their city on foot and by car. With no safety regulation, the use of these scooters without helmets was extremely common and, as these E-Scooters could reach up to 17 mph on the sidewalk, users often crashed into pedestrians, causing harm to themselves, others and damaging public property. When the co-founder of ‘Spin’, another one of the companies in the E-Scooter space, was asked about his company’s work he said they were “innovating on the regulatory side,” in other words, acting illegally.

Soon, the city attorney of San Francisco issued cease and desist letters to these companies to minimise the rapidly growing safety concerns. The letter mentioned the lack of helmet use and the fact that no driver’s license was needed could mean that almost anyone could come and drive them unchallenged. It also claimed that the scooters were breaking the law by ‘blocking sidewalks and access ramps.’

Despite these initial problems in America, the issues raised presented a nice case study for the UK trials. E-Scooter implementation here has taken onboard the mistakes of San Francisco’s scooter nightmare. Using E-Scooters in the UK is generally quite safe due to the incorporation of warnings, automatic speed adjusters and a ‘wide range of safety resources designed to educate riders on safe e-scooter and e-bike use’ according to Tier. Attached to the scooter is a little box labelled with the advice: ‘Respect Local Traffic Laws’ and ‘Park Responsibly.’

Next to the collection of scooters is a sign stating the rules of usage:

- Don’t Drink and Ride

- Stay on Road and Cycleways

- Wearing a Helmet is Advised

- Over 18’s only

All users must have their driver’s license (or provisional driver’s license) verified before use to enforce the age limit usage. With these safety measures in place, the E-Scooter trials have seamlessly integrated into everyday life, providing many social benefits for people who before were reliant on public transport to travel short distances in and out of town.

The term E-Scooter sets the pretence of an environmentally friendly product, as electricity isknown as a better alternative to emission creating fossil fuels such as petrol or diesel.

In the UK, the average car journey is 8.3 miles in distance. The average journey time is about 21 minutes and 30 seconds. With proper distribution across the country making scooters more accessible, the average car trip could be replaced by Tiers’ electric scooter, whose total travel distance ranges 10-80 miles long. With a £1 unlock and 18p per minute usage charge in comparison to the skyrocketing costs of fuel needed to power a car; the opportunity cost of using a car or bus grows larger, and with it the intended effect of reducing overpopulation on other public transport systems.

From January 2020, Tier became the first company in the electric scooter space to becomefully carbon neutral, a factor which was most likely taken into consideration by the government when picking which company should spearhead the trial. With swappable and recyclable batteries inside their E-Scooters it seems that the trials in the UK are unquestionably socially and environmentally favourable and that they definitely make progress for a more sustainable way of life.