Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether e-scooter pilot schemes are commissioned to provide accessible alternative scooters as part of the pilot programme.

I have taken a keen interest in the trials and how e-scooters may affect those with disabilities and accessibility needs. As e-scooters have the potential to offer an additional means of transport, we did allow seated e-scooters within the scope of the trials to enable people with certain mobility issues to use them. However, local authorities control how the trials run in their areas and appoint e-scooter operators and none of the local authorities or operators involved have chosen to trial a seated e-scooter model. One e-scooter operator is planning to trial a device adapted from an e-scooter to give wheelchair users access to the experience of using an e-scooter and will share results with the Department.