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<p>His Majesty The King will set out the Government's legislative agenda for the next
parliamentary session on 7 November.</p><p>The Government recognises that people want
to take advantage of the opportunities e-scooters can offer. The Department is committed
to encouraging innovation in transport, whilst ensuring new modes of transport are
safe and secure by design.</p><p>There are several potential benefits to micromobility
vehicles. They offer an alternative means of transport to those who would usually
drive a car, and they could be an additional means of transport for people with certain
disabilities.</p><p>E-scooters are less polluting than petrol and diesel powered vehicles
at point of use. Therefore, using an e-scooter instead of driving is expected to reduce
emissions and improve air quality. The Department’s national evaluation of the e-scooter
trials estimated a total reduction between 269 to 348 tonnes of CO2e (to December
2021) across five case study areas due to modal shift from cars to rental e-scooters.
However, more data needs to be gathered to understand lifecycle emissions of rental
e-scooters.</p><p>The Department is aware of the observed mode shift from active travel
to micromobility in the trials. The evaluation found that by December 2021 rental
e-scooter journeys most commonly replaced walking journeys (42 per cent), followed
by private motor vehicles or taxis (21 per cent). However, the proportion of walking
journeys replaced reduced over time, while the proportion of private motor vehicle
or taxi journeys being replaced increased over time. The evaluation also found that
frequent rental users were less likely to have travelled by foot in the absence of
a rental e-scooter than infrequent users.</p><p>Users of e-scooters in current trials
are required to have a provisional driving licence. The Department is currently considering
options for e-scooter regulations and will publicly consult before any new regulations
come into force, including on licensing.</p>
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