Coronavirus: Could e-scooters help solve transport problems?

Supporters of electric scooters say councils should allow people to hire them to deal with reduced public transport options due to coronavirus.

E-scooters were made legal on roads this month by the UK government but are only for hire in certain areas.

Charities warned any changes must not come at a cost to the safety and independence of disabled people.

The Welsh Government said it was discussing trials in Wales with the UK government.

A spokesman said the scope would depend on interest at local authority level.

There are safety concerns over how quiet e-scooters are and the speeds they can reach

GOiA, a Cardiff-based business, is speaking to councils about being the first company to operate scooters for hire in Wales.

Founder Jarrad Morris said: "I think now with public transport, the capacity has been decreased by 70-90%... there's a massive lack at the moment of transport options for individuals in cities to get around places.

"It's green, it's in line with green air targets... it's a massive opportunity."

The e-scooters are app-based and can be hired for about £2 for 20 minutes.

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GOiA would also have docks the e-scooters would need to be returned to, which the company said would stop the dumping of the vehicles seen in other European countries.

But there are safety concerns about their widespread use, with campaigners worried about their speed - up to 15.5mph - and how quiet they are.

The sight loss charity, RNIB, said those factors increased the danger of crashes.

E-scooters are a common sight elsewhere in the world, including in San Francisco

"Silent vehicles like e-scooters are really difficult to detect for blind or partially sighted people and it may not be obvious to somebody driving a scooter," said Nathan Owen from the charity.

Mr Owen said measures brought in because of coronavirus, such as social distancing, were already creating a "challenging and unwelcoming environment" for people with sight loss.

Many "are feeling like they're losing confidence, they're losing their independence and they feel like they're being excluded from society", he said.

Although e-scooters will be banned from pavements, the RNIB is also concerned the rules might not be enforced.

Customers hiring e-scooters would need a full, provisional or moped licence before being allowed to use them. Personal e-scooters remain illegal except on private land.