London’s e-scooter trials have been temporarily suspended due to heavy snowfall and ice, according to Transport for London (TfL).
Helen Sharp, TfL’s e-scooter trial lead, told Zag Daily: “Across London’s transport network, we have well-rehearsed plans and procedures which we have enacted to keep people safe and to keep the capital moving during the colder weather.
“As a precautionary measure, together with the operators, we’ve decided to temporarily pause London’s trial of rental e-scooters due to the severe weather conditions. We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and hope to resume services as soon as possible.”
The three e-scooter operators in London – Tier, Lime and Dott – have contacted their customers to inform them about the suspension and are working to manage their fleets despite the challenging weather conditions.
Alex Berwin, Tier’s Regional Manager for London, told Zag that the snow and ice on the ground poses too much risk for the company to safely operate.
“In line with our safety-first approach to managing seasonal conditions, developed from years of experience operating in markets with snowy weather, and in line with TfL guidance, we have temporarily deactivated our e-scooter fleet across London due to heavy snowfall.”
The majority of Tier’s fleet will remain on the streets but users will not be able to start a ride. “Our operations team will continue to carry out maintenance and fleet rebalancing when it is safe to do so,” said Berwin.
Dott’s vehicles will also be taken out of service but remain on the streets as the temperatures are not low enough to damage them.
In case of any severe winter weather, TfL will keep the strategic road network open and running, including key arterial roads, cycle routes and footways around bus and railway stations, hospitals and police, fire and ambulance stations across London.
TfL and London’s boroughs do have plans in place to ensure that cycle routes remain safe by using dedicated de-icer units and brushing machines.
