The UK government has extended rental e-scooter trials in England until May 2028, allowing local authorities more time to collect data on safety, travel behaviour and environmental effects. However, the decision continues a cycle of temporary extensions, leaving operators grappling with prolonged uncertainty.
Launched in July 2020, the trials were originally due to end in November 2021 but have now been extended five times. The latest extension, announced in a policy update published in July, is intended “to help fill evidence gaps and gather new learning around e-scooter safety, the impact of local area characteristics, and how e-scooters contribute to meeting new government missions.”
While the UK Department for Transport (DfT) says the extension will “ensure we have the best possible evidence base to inform how to legislate,” operators are now entering an eighth year of regulatory limbo, with no permanent legal framework in place and no clear timeline for final legislation. Each extension, from pandemic delays to post-pandemic travel shifts, has provided justification but little long-term certainty.
