Nottingham City Council in the UK is extending its e-scooter trial, which began in autumn 2020, until May 2024.

In July, the UK’s Department for Transport announced that local authorities would have the option of carrying on with the trials up to this point. 

Nottingham is one of many cities trialling e-scooters, and learnings made in the city will be used to plan the smooth integration of e-scooters into cities around the UK, if they are legalised in the future.

Issues around safety, parking, customer service and communications for the scheme have been improved significantly over the past two years:

• Parking racks and marked parking bays were installed to address issues around e-scooters being left obstructing pavements, as well as fines. Riders are now required to upload a photo showing the e-scooter has been parked considerately.
• Pavement riding is being addressed via compliance patrols, a “three strikes and you’re out” policy banning riders and a new system called Pedestrian Defence, which alerts riders when they’re riding on the pavement in real time, providing further education on the dos and don’ts.
• New scooter model introduced with number plates and age limit raised from 16 to 18.
• Improved communications and a programme of in-person safety events to introduce the mode to new riders.

The operator Superpedestrian, in partnership with the council, will be using the rest of the trial to focus on measures to improve it further, as well as working to get more women and older people giving the e-scooters a try, by piloting Pedestrian Defence technology and evaluating its effectiveness in reducing pavement riding.

There is a plan to introduce a revised subscription offer in the form of monthly passes for regular users. And it wants to broaden demographics through education and events to attract more women and older people and provide information for motorists on interacting with e-scooter users on the highway.

There will be continued engagement with stakeholders, disability groups and community groups to continue addressing issues as they arise. These learnings will be fed back to the Department for Transport to help with their national evaluation.

“It’s good news that the e-scooter trial will continue to run until spring 2024,” said councillor Audra Wynter. “We are continuing to learn new things, listen to feedback and make improvements along with our partners at Superpedestrian, to inform a future scheme if e-scooters are rolled out nationwide. I want to thank everyone who continues to give us feedback to help us create a safe future for e-scooters in the UK.”

Jean Andrews, policy director at Superpedestrian, added: “We’re thrilled about the continuation of Nottingham’s e-scooter trial. In the next year of operation, we’ll be bringing more upgraded technology and continuing to educate riders about safe riding and parking. Superpedestrian takes seriously our role in this community as both a transport provider and community partner.” 

George, a local e-scooter user, said: “The e-scooters are really good. I mainly use them to get to places which aren’t easy to park like going into town. I’d love to see more parking spots across the city.” 

The e-scooter trial involves 1000 e-scooters available in 400 locations. There are 3500 rides made each day on average, making Nottingham one of the most popular e-scooter trial locations in the UK. More than two million rides have been made since the trial began, and five million kilometres travelled.

Nottingham is also planning to launch an electric bike hire scheme in the spring through a partnership with electric vehicle company Lime.

A fleet of up to 700 Lime e-bikes will be available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis in key city locations, enabling more Nottingham residents and visitors to enjoy the benefits that cycling can bring, from improved health to cleaner air.

E-bikes can help to break down the barriers that stop some people from cycling, including fitness, age and journey length, meaning more people than ever can take to two wheels. They will also provide a safe, convenient and affordable way for residents looking to replace car journeys with more sustainable transport options.