E-scooter trial
We're considering taking part in a controlled trial of an e-scooter hire scheme, operated by Beryl, the city’s current Bikeshare provider.
If approved, the trial would begin in 2026 and offer residents and visitors a new, affordable and sustainable way to travel.
Benefits of e-scooters
E-scooter use has been shown to have several benefits, including improved mental health and faster journeys. Existing UK trials have persuaded many people to use e-scooters instead of travelling by car.
Data has also shown e-scooters are more likely to be used by those on lower incomes and that almost half would combine their most common e-scooter journey with at least one other form of transport.
Share your views
We want to hear your views on an e-scooter trial including safety measures, hire zones, hub locations and how e-scooters could fit into the city’s transport network.
Your feedback will help shape the future of e-scooter use in Brighton & Hove.
Phases
More information
E-scooter hire area
E-scooter journeys tend to be shorter than bike journeys, so the city centre and seafront are likely to be most popular.
For the trial, the hire area would be limited. Some private landowners in the city allow hire bikes and hubs, but do not want e-scooters ridden or stored on their land.
Hire area boundaries
The proposed boundaries were agreed with the bike hire operator Beryl in consultation with relevant private landowners, Transport & Travel Partnership stakeholders, Sussex Police and the our Highways and Parking teams.
No-go zones within the hire zone
These are places you cannot ride the e-scooters. They fall into different categories:
- Pavements (unless they are shared use spaces) and dual carriageways
- 24 hour no go locations will include Cranbourne St Brighton, The Undercliff (Marina to Saltdean), Lewes Rd north of The Vogue Gyratory, Hove Promenade, Brighton Lower Promenade and Madeira Drive Boardwalk, The Level cross walks and all skate parks and bike pump tracks
- Timed no go zones including George Street, Hove and Gardner Street, Brighton
- Temporary no go zones for festival sites and parades (like Preston Park, Madeira Drive, New Road, Marine Parade, St James Street)
Go slow areas
The shared use spaces in front of Brighton Palace Pier and the promenade at the bottom of West Street by Shelter Hall.
Private e-scooters and other vehicles
The following vehicles will remain illegal on the public highway during the trial:
- Private e-scooters
- Derestricted e-bikes (with electric pedal assist motors) capable of speeds above 15.5mph
- Unregistered electric bikes with handlebar throttles to control speed and are capable of speeds above 15.5mph
Helmet requirements
The UK’s Highway code recommends their use but does not make them compulsory. Some incentives will be offered and targeted to some groups, and reminders will be sent at each hire start via in-app notifications.
E-scooter training
There will be online in-app training before the first unlock permitted. We'll also offer in-person training options for a fee.
Signing up
Anyone aged 17 and over who holds a provisional driving licence. There will be ongoing randomised checks of licences on all registered users.
Speed limits
In line with most UK trials, the top speed for the e-scooter hire trial will be 12.5mph. This limit can be set remotely using controlling software.
Speeds will be set at a maximum 6.5mph in go-slow area.
Intoxication
Beryl are working on a smartphone app aptitude test which all users on evenings from 8pm to midnight must complete before the scooter will unlock.
There will be curfews in place on Fridays and Saturdays from midnight to 5am. The go-slow speed will be in operation city-wide from Sundays to Thursdays, Midnight to 5am.
Passengers
Passengers are not permitted. The first 2 times any rider is reported carrying a passenger, they'll receive a warning. If they are reported for a third time, their membership will be revoked.
Beryl will evaluate the effectiveness of technology to detect passengers such as sensors and dynamic motor power measurements.
Pavement riding
The rider will be warned after the first 2 reports, and their membership will be revoked after a third report. Beryl will evaluate the effectiveness of technology such as vibration sensors which can detect pavement riding.
Scooter noise and sounds
All scooters are fitted with bells which can be used without the rider taking their hands off the handlebars.
We’re working with Beryl on a potential partnership project to test fitting scooters with noise-emitting devices that alert other road users to the scooter’s direction or approach.
Disabled people use and impact
22 % of e-scooter users in existing UK trials have reported they have a disability. We'll commission a local disability group to site audit any location where the e-scooter racks might limit pavement space to the detriment of people with mobility issues, as well as blind or partially sighted people.
Health benefits of e-scooters
Riders will usually walk to and from hire points, and 1 in 4 people using scooters in the UK have said they walk more often since they started using them.
There are fitness benefits from the muscle effort needed to keep an upright posture, balance and strong stance on the vehicle. Mental health benefits are often mentioned, and disabled people who can use scooters are twice as likely to mention these benefits.
Sustainability benefits of scooters
Riders in the current UK trials say some of their scooter journeys have replaced some short car trips, reducing congestion and air pollution.
Bus journeys are often combined with scooter journeys and scooters have been found to make public transport more accessible to those living away from main routes and stations.
Some walking journeys will be replaced by scooters, but the carbon impact of scooters is still less than the carbon impact of the car journeys they prevent.
Some UK trial users say they walk more often than they did before using their local scheme. Some users will go on to cycle more, and many use both scooters and bikes at different times.