Electric scooter trial rental scheme

Lambeth is participating in a trial rental scheme run by Transport for London.

The trial, which began on 5 July 2021, moved into its second phase as of Monday 25 September 2023. 

In Phase 2, the rental e-scooters are provided by two different operators: Lime and Voi.

All scooters chosen to take part in the trial have been fully approved by the Department for Transport to ensure they are safe. 

The trial area

In early 2024, Lambeth installed a large batch of new parking bays meaning that there are now 240 designated bays borough-wide where you can begin or end your journey.

These bays are shared with both rental e-scooters and e-bikes. E-scooters were previously only permitted in the north of the borough, but this area was expanded in January 2024 to cover the whole of Lambeth. 

Trial e-scooters can only be parked within a designated bay to ensure that footways are clear for all users.

E-scooters rented from the scheme will be permitted to ride on London's public roads and cycle infrastructure in participating boroughs. Within Lambeth and other boroughs that are participating, there are 'no-go areas' where e-scooters cannot be ridden and will come to a safe stop, as well as 'go-slow areas', where the speed of e-scooters will be reduced to 8mph.

You can view a map of where the shared e-scooter and e-bike parking bays will be located. 

Consultation

A consultation for 148 proposed new shared bays between rental dockless bikes and e-scooter will be taking place between Friday 15 November and Friday 6 December 2024. 

View the locations of the proposed new shared bays

The proposed dockless bays were selected considering factors such as road safety, expected levels of demand, network density considerations and impact on residents. 

Submit feedback by visiting our consultation portal

Safety tips 

Guidance and tips on how to ride rental e-scooters safely and avoid serious injury to any road users are available on TfL's website.

Share your views with Transport for London

The trial scheme is run in partnership with Transport for London and London Councils. 

You can find out where you will be able to ride a scooter across London and which boroughs are taking part in the trail on the Transport for London website. 

You can also share feedback on the scheme.

Share feedback with us

If you would like to share your views on an e-scooter bay design or location please contact e-scootertrial@lambeth.gov.uk - for all other enquiries or reporting issues please contact the operating companies, further contact information can be found below.

Report a problem

If you have an issue with a specific operator, for example a scooter which is broken or has been left outside of a parking bay, you can contact them directly. 

Lime

Voi

The law on rental e-scooters

  • Riders of the trial e-scooters must be 18 or over and have a full or provisional driving licence to rent an e-scooter.
  • It is an offence to drive a motor vehicle including rental e-scooters on the pavement. You can generally use the same space as bicycles. Breaching this law can result in a £50 fine.

The law on privately owned e-scooters

  • It is still illegal to use privately owned e-scooters or other powered transporters on public roads, parks and open spaces. We will continue to work with our residents to ensure that their concerns about safety on roads and pavements are addressed.
  • If a privately owned e-scooter is used on a public road, park or open space it is likely to be committing at least one of a number of offences such as driving a motor vehicle with no insurance. You could be liable for a fixed penalty of £300 and six points on your driving licence, for example.
  • E-scooters and powered transporters which are privately owned can only be used on private land with permission from the landowner or occupier.