The Department for Transport (DfT) in the UK has (so far) announced 43 operators of e-scooter trials. Based on the original tender documents, each should run for 12-months, but as the start dates have been staggered over several months, the period from the first trial beginning to the last trial ending could be considerably longer. There are at least two more trials where the winner has not yet been announced, including what is likely to be the largest trial of them all, London.
Eleven different operators have won the right to operate trials so far. The winners have been diverse, from global power-houses, to local start-ups, with many steps in between. Winners have their headquarters in UK, EU, USA and even AsiaPacific. The size of town/city has been just as diverse, including rural market towns, and dense urban city centres. All trials, except Milton Keynes have been awarded to a single operator. London is also expected to announce at least three operators.
The UK may have been late to the e-scooter party, but the Covid-19 pandemic motivated the UK government to respond quickly by accelerating and expanding its plans to allow e-scooters on English streets. Privately owned e-scooters are likely to remain illegal for a significant period even if these trials prove successful, likely due to concerns around insurance and checking age/qualifications of riders.
Anadue enables operators and local governments to gain full visibility of how their trials are operating, the benefits being delivered, and insights into how to improve them.
