It might not apply in the UK where you have Health & Safety as well as traffic laws. Fortunately we have neither.
And I've been noticing these electric scooters we see everywhere here and that lunatics bomb around on, they've been intriguing me for some time, but in some way also been a little intimidating. Which is ridiculous when you consider my life time of dangerous sports, but there you are.
So a little time ago I put some effort in. Considering the area in which I usually drink and the area that I live in, there's only a couple of scooter companies that cover both. And I chose one of two possibilities.
I created an account which took moments and then put on a small amount of credit and so I was ready to go.
A combination of the fact that I like a walk home in the early hours, and it only takes about 45 minutes, that often I am walking with friends or #1 daughter and the fact that I still found the scooters vaguely intimidating somehow stopped me getting around to it.
But tonight #1 is off with her friends, those reprobates that I was drinking with were on a short night, and so I found myself rather more sober than usual and with no excuses or friends to walk with..
Firstly I had to work out how to use the scooters. So for those of you are are virgins, it's like this.
- Install the app
- Load a small amount of credit
- Open the app and it will show where you are and where the nearest scooter is, with a note of how much charge it has left in it.
- Walk to the where the scooter is supposed to be. Find it is not.
- Walk up and down gradually increasing the severity of the swear words you are using.
- Notice there's a button on the app which says "ring scooter"
- Press it
- leap out of your skin with a girly shriek as you realise it's just the other side of the bench you're leaning on.
- Scan it [press scan and ride]
- Stare at it blankly as it beeps and lights up
You'll notice it says scoot along with your foot and then accelerate. You can get very hot, tired, sweaty and swear-y if you don't take that literally.
Scoot along until it's moving and *then* press the accelerator on the handle. Don't do as I did and press the accelerator and then try to scoot it up to speed.
But get it right and you're away!
And omigod you're away. 25ish kph and wheeee!!!
Yes, I probably was that silly b****** seen on Avenida Tobalaba with a huge grin wailing with joy..
You need to be careful of bumps & holes (the front wheel can stop dead) you need to be careful of irregular surfaces (shakes your eyeballs from your head) and wheel wobbles are easily acquired.
But they're b***** marvellous. Really really fun. And, for me at least, about 1/3 the price of a taxi and probably half the time. (It's about 6km / 4miles)
I was bare foot, wearing only shorts and t-shirt with no helmet and three sheets to the wind. All of which I confidently assured the App I was not.
Probably that's a bit reckless, because I think a face plant would be fairly easy to achieve with a moments inattention.
They're b***** brilliant.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sat 30 Nov 19 at 02:48
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Apparently, Bolt are one of the scooter co's available in the UK.
bolt.eu/en/scooters
They also do an Uber type app based car taxi service.
There is also Kapten - for cars.
www.kapten.com/uk/
Last edited by: Duncan on Sat 30 Nov 19 at 08:09
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>>Bolt are one of the scooter co's available in the UK.
I don't think so. I'm not sure any of them are available in the UK, are they?
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Scroll down and look under "Available services"
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Too late for the edit.
You may well be right. It refers to cars in London, but not scooters.
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Why DO we have this silly five minute limit for editing!
fatllama.com/lp/london-xiaomi-electric-scooters-hire
After a bit of Googling I found these above. Me? I know nothing.
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My son has a xiaomi-electric-scooter which he brought round to give me a demo / try.
On the open road during a traffic free day it is almost silent and worryingly fast.
I refused to try it :-(
Last edited by: henry k on Sat 30 Nov 19 at 11:19
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Weren't there issues over you needing a licence and they shouldn't be riden on pavements? Probably why the take up is low in the UK. I don't think I've seen one.
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Legality of scooters in UK was discussed on another thread a couple of months ago. Conclusion is that they need licence, plates and insurance. OP included link to BBC article:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48106617
Legality notwithstanding there was one on prominent display in Halfords yesterday when I nipped in to get wiper blades for the Fabia.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 30 Nov 19 at 11:31
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>> Legality of scooters in UK was discussed on another thread a couple of months ago.
>> Conclusion is that they need licence, plates and insurance. OP included link to BBC article:
>>
>>
>> www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48106617
>>
I didn't know you couldn't ride the unpowered version in a cycle lane. That's seems a bit odd.
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>>Me? I know nothing.
De acuerdo
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They're a damn menace. Most bikes are ridden on the pavement round here. I don't know if it's because electric scooters are cheaper than electric bikes, or if it's because new electric bikes can now only be 'electric assist', but it seems pavement cyclists are turning to electric scooters.
AIUI, because they don't carry approval certification, then they can't registered, taxed or insured and therefore certainly can't be used in public spaces.
Saw one on the pavement in the town centre yesterday. The BIB it went past completely ignored it. I'll have to email police HQ and ask if they've abandoned policing pavement cyclists and electric scooter.
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Same here. Kids on unlit bikes seem to prefer riding on pavements rather than the quiet roads. They assume you’ll step into the road or to one side. They assume wrong.
A few weeks ago in Kendal, a fairly busy Saturday morning, and the old A6 through the town centre was congested, there was a middle aged chap sounding his bell behind me whilst riding on the pavement. I walked past a character who was walking his dog, on a lead, and the cyclist shouted to him to get out of the way. This character just turned around and decked him ! I offered words of encouragement. He didn’t look the sort to mess with, or his dog. Unfortunately for the cyclist he only had a back view.
How I laughed.
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I thought there was no grey area with the current scooter law in the UK... illegal apart from being ridden on private land.
I remember LBC radio did a 'secret shopper' piece when they started becoming popular going round to high street stores and highlighting how ill informed the staff were on the regulations.
I see loads where I am, on the pavement and crazily on the main roads!
Total lack of enforcement!
Saying that, in the space of ten minutes today I saw two newish Ferraris being driven towards me both with no front number plates, I suspect the drivers were pretty confident that they would never be stopped.
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Day out in Bradford?
It’s not the prom season when it’s a given that exotica will be driven with distain
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We had much the same experience* with app-based electric scooter hire in both Brussels and Paris. They're utterly awesome. Both cities have a lot of cycle lanes (and a lot of cobbles!) and it seems perfectly normal to scoot along them, as everyone else does.
They're a bit slow uphill 2-up, though ;-)
*used them to travel between pubs
EDIT: Although I did read an article about their use in Norway, where apparently there are three or four hospital admissions every day in Oslo alone due to unplanned dismounts.
Last edited by: Dave_ on Mon 2 Dec 19 at 21:17
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Saw one of these tearing along a pavement in the dark in Reading yesterday. No lights, nor hi-viz, naturally. Hooded rider, of course. Totally illegal. Expect a plague of them very soon.
www.funbikes.co.uk/p2404_funbikes-chaos-evo-1000w-powerboard-48-volt-electric-scooter
Chaos indeed.
"Disclaimer: FunBikes is unable to give advice on the law. Please speak to your local authorities for more information. Unless otherwise specified, the products you are purchasing are not currently legal to ride in the UK. It is the rider’s responsibility and full liability to ensure laws are respected and the correct safety equipment is used. Age Suitability is to be used as a guide only, with responsibility for use solely at the discretion of parents or guardians."
Last edited by: Alanovich on Wed 4 Dec 19 at 11:06
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Where I live there seems to be a plague of kids / teens riding about in off road scrambler type bikes and a few quads as well. No lights, license or anything.
Racing up and down the main street, up onto pavements, through parks etc.
Police seem powerless to do anything.
My issue is not only with these people, but those who know who they are. These bikes do not appear out of thin air, they come out of someone's back garden, shed, garage or whatever. Society needs to take a firmer grip on itself, its fine to always blame the police / council / govt (delete as applicable) but sometimes society needs to grow a set.
We have a local facebook page with about 3000 members. Its very interesting reading posts and almost able to bracket people into different criteria.
1. These idiots on the bikes are going to kill someone and they need stopped.
2. Ach, they are not doing anyone any harm, weren't you young once and got up to some mischief?
3. Those bikes are cool, I'm going to get one for xmas and join them..
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All thre views are to a degree correct. They do look fun, the pavement is not the place for them and indeed most of us likely got up to worse than riding an electric scooter.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Wed 4 Dec 19 at 16:33
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Are you talking about Electric Scooters or motorbikes, Bobby?
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Wow exactly the same around me... total suicide mission going along unlit country roads...must be chasing a rush or more likely they are on something.
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Electric Scooters - Duncan
