Question
I welcome the new police powers to seize illegal e-scooters and e-bikes that, quite frankly, are out of control. In Epsom and Ewell, Operation Scramble seized 15 vehicles and made six arrests in two days, but some police are hesitant to engage in pursuits because of concerns for wider public safety. It is clear that the police cannot address this issue alone. With Christmas approaching, will the Minister commit to a national awareness campaign to ensure that the general public understand the law around e-scooters, and appreciate that they are legal only if they are part of a rental scheme or are being used on private land?
Answer
I thank the hon. Member for her thoughtful question. We hear what she says about e-bikes. We are having conversations with the College of Policing and others about how we can ensure that the police can respond in the way that they want to. In a big operation last month, the Met arrested 187 people and seized 157 vehicles in a crackdown on e-bikes, and Met police are using Sur-Ron bikes in that operation, so we are very much having conversations with colleagues to see what more we can do.
Verdict: RED (5/100)
The question asked whether the Minister would commit to a national public awareness campaign on the legal status of e-scooters. The reply does not address this. It discusses police enforcement, a Metropolitan Police operation and ongoing conversations about enforcement, but says nothing about informing the public or raising awareness of the law. The asker would most likely need to ask again to get an answer on this point.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Minister commit to a national awareness campaign to ensure the general public understand the law on e-scooters, including that they are legal only when part of a rental scheme or used on private land? | Not Addressed | Generic | The item asks whether the Minister will commit to a national public awareness campaign on the legal status of e-scooters. No statement mentions public awareness, communications, or a campaign; the reply covers police enforcement, the Met operation, and vague ongoing conversations about enforcement, which do not engage with public understanding of the law. |