E-scooters and medical drone deliveries ‘could green UK transport’

Plans to allow e-scooters on UK roads have been unveiled by the UK Government, which has launched a consultation to make transport safer and greener

Plans to allow e-scooters on UK roads have been unveiled by the UK Government, which has launched a consultation to make transport safer and greener.

The government has pledged to spend £90 million on studying various green  transport options, including e-scooters, in four ‘future transport zones‘, covering Portsmouth and Southampton, Derby and Nottingham, the West Midlands and the West of England Combined Authority.

It says the trial period will consider a minimum age to legally ride electric scooters on public roads.

Another project will see drones carrying medical supplies from clinics on the Isle of Wight to hospitals on the mainland – this process is expected to accelerate diagnoses by cutting out time spent on ferry and road journeys.

It notes once trials finish, the drones can eventually be used to transport chemotherapy kits to save time and potentially lives.

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said: “This review will ensure we understand the potential impacts of a wide range of new transport modes such as e-scooters, helping to properly inform any decisions on legalisation.

“Funding these new zones across the country will also help us safely test innovative ways to get around, creating a greener future transport system for us all.”

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