How to recognize if a scooter is legal to ride
In the UK, the only road legal e-scooters are the ones provided by licensed, DfT-approved operators as part of the nationwide government trials. If you want to hire an e scooter and you are not sure your location has a licenced operator, you can always check the list of government approved trials here.
Zwings operates in six locations: Gloucester, Cheltenham, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Yeovil, Chard, and Crewkerne. In these cities we are easily recognisable as our e-scooters have distinctive Zwings-blue branding, marking them out from generally black, private-use e-scooters. The graphic below has further information on how to differentiate between legal and privately owned e-scooters. Apart from the attractive colour, the Generation 2.0 vehicles come with a host of technological and safety advancements.
Legal framework overview
The 1835 Highways Act restricts the use of Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEV) to private land in the UK – and this law remains in place making it illegal to ride a privately-owned electric scooter in public in the UK.
If you do use a privately-owned scooter, you could face the following repercussions:
- fines
- points on your license
- the scooter could be impounded
If you want to ride a rental-scooter legally, you still need to follow the rules, which are enforced by the police:
- Age 16+
- Hold a valid provisional or motorcycle licence
- Ride on the road/ on a cycle path
- 1 person only on the e-scooter
- Don’t use the vehicle if you used drugs or alcohol
I have a privately owned scooter. What can I do?
The Zwings e-scooter trial schemes were launched as part of the Department for Transport’s nationwide trials to assess whether it’s viable to make privately owned e-scooters legal in the future. Until the results of these trials are announced, use of privately owned e-scooters on roads, public land and cycle routes remains illegal and uninsured, unlike Zwings’ trial e-scooters.
What is Zwings doing for the public safety as a trial e-scooter operator?
Zwings is working closely with local councils and the government to keep e-scooter users safe.
We also follow the International Transport Forum recommendations for micromobility. Apart from the measures the government is taking, here are some of the ways in which we ensure our e-scooters produce a positive effect on the community:
- Allocate protected space for micro mobility and keep pedestrians safe
Our e-scooters can only be operated in a Geo-fenced zone that is strictly enforced and agreed upon with local councils. We use smart technology to make sure our e-scooters automatically slow down or even stop in some sensitive areas. Moreover, our policy is very strict when it comes to pavement riding and we take constant steps to make sure our Riders are safe.
- Collect data on micro-vehicle trips and crashes
We constantly collect data about our e-scooters and trips and, together with local councils, use it to inform n strategies that could help . The DFT also collects data from local operators to assess the safety of this new mode of transport.
- Tackle drunk driving and speeding
We have a severe policy against any misuse and we run frequent campaigns to educate our riders about the dangers of riding under the influence.
What are the advantages of using the trial e-scooters?
The responsibility of ensuring the safety and proper functioning of the e-scooters falls on us. As our e-scooters are part of a larger government scheme, we respect the government recommendations that come as a result of examining real time data.
By using Zwings’ e-scooters, you will be part of the larger community of people who are keen on using sustainable transport and have access to our promotions, events and support whenever you need it.
If you want to join our awesome rider community, download our app and start riding safely and legally with Zwings.
For more information, including how to download the Zwings App and get scooting visit the Zwings website.
For any enquiries, please feel free to contact us via email at community@zwings.co.uk or by phone: 020 3882 0611. We also encourage everyone who sees any misuse to submit their reports by using the Zwings Reporting Form.