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If e-scooters are your preferred mode of transport, you’ll know that right now there are only a few parts of London where you can e-scoot around to your heart’s content. TfL launched its e-scooter trial in 2021 in collaboration with e-scooter companies Voi and Lime in an effort to offer a more sustainable way of getting around and discourage the use of illegal, more dangerous electric scooters. Since it started, TfL says that more than five million journeys have been taken, covering more than 10 million kilometres.
Ten London boroughs have joined the scheme over the past four years and now Wandsworth has jumped on board. E-scooters are officially available to rent in Wandsworth from today (Monday, May 11). One hundred and seventy new parking bays have been installed in the southwest London borough, bringing the total number in the city up to 1,300 and increasing the overall trial area to around 300 square kilometres.
At the moment, rental scooters are the only way you can ride an e-scooter legally in the UK. Wandsworth joins the likes of Camden, Lambeth, Southwark and Richmond-upon-Thames, where people can ride Voi or Lime e-scooters at a max speed of 12.5mph. Safety has been a big point of focus throughout the trial, with all vehicles needing to pass high safety standards before they can take to the streets. TfL also recently changed some of its e-scooter rules to prevent injuries.
Helen Sharp, TfL's e-scooter trial lead, said: ‘We continue to put safety at the heart of the trial and regularly review trial performance to ensure that the scheme works for both users and non-users of the service. Working closely with operators and people across London, we will continue to build on what we’ve learnt to date, to ensure that everyone benefits from using rental e-scooters across the capital.’
The trial is scheduled to end September 25 with the possibility of extending it up to one year.
Where can you hire an e-scooter in London?
Here’s a full list of the 11 London boroughs that are part of TfL’s e-scooter trial.
- Camden
- City of London
- Ealing (east of the borough only)
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Lambeth
- Richmond upon Thames
- Southwark
- Tower Hamlets (limited parking at Canary Wharf and some TfL stations)
- Wandsworth
- Westminster
However, e-scooters are still banned in parts of those boroughs, including the Royal Parks, South Bank and the area around St Paul’s Cathedral.
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