E-Scooter scheme approved

UNANIMOUS approval has been given to two trial e-scooter areas in Dorset.

Unanimous approval has been given to two trial e-scooter areas in Dorset.

The schemes will cover Corfe Mullen and Upton and the Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester and Chickerell areas.

The scooter trial in the east of the county is likely to start earlier because the contract will be offered to Beryl Bikes which runs the existing e-scooters in the adjoining BCP Council area.

The south Dorset area contract will have be put  out to tender and is unlikely to get underway until next year.

The new areas are to include technical ‘barriers’ to prevent the machines being used in some areas, including shopping centres. This will use geo-fencing on the devices to restrict the areas they can operate in.

Portfolio holder for Place services, Cllr Jon Andrews, told the July Cabinet meeting that he understood the concerns expressed by some people about safety and the risk of collisions with pedestrians, but believed the measures to be put in place would minimise the risk.

Cllr Andrews said the e-scooters would provide a ‘green’ alternative to commuting by car and might help deter people from choosing illegal e-scooters. Only those licensed machines in the two Dorset licensed trial area can legally be used.

A report says the machines are suitable for 1-5km trips and may be popular with younger people, although there are several restrictions on who can hire one.

The Government has said that the current e-scooter trails are expected to continue until May 2028 but may be extended.

The Dorset scheme will require e-scooter hirers to hold a valid driving licence with machines limited to defined areas.

Of the BCP scheme, which has been in operation since 2023, a report to the Cabinet meeting says: “The scheme has supported hundreds of thousands of trips, with user surveys indicating substantial replacement of short car journeys and measurable carbon savings. Its performance places it among the strongest performing DfT trial areas nationally, demonstrating that risks associated with rental e-scooters are manageable where strong controls, geofencing, maintenance and governance are in place.”

Approval for the scheme was by a unanimous vote, without any debate, at Tuesday evening’s Dorset Council Cabinet meeting.