The UK’s first meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Micromobility was held in Parliament this week to address the growing need for legislation and regulation in the micromobility sector.
Deirdre Costigan, Labour MP for Ealing Southall has been elected as Chair of the APPG, while Conservative Peer, Lord Shinkwin; Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, David Burton-Sampson; and Rachel Blake, Labour (Co-op) MP for Cities of London and Westminster were elected as Vice-chair.
The new members of the APPG include Baroness Vere, a Member of the House of Lords since 2016 and who formally announced that the UK Government will be creating a new vehicle class for e-scooters; Dawn Petula Butler, Labour MP for Brent East; and Polly Billington, Labour MP for East Thanet.
At the inaugural meeting, attendees agreed the group should focus on accessibility, licensing and parking among other issues.
We spoke with James Bolton, UK General Manager at Voi, one of the UK’s largest e-scooter providers, who welcomed the cross party political support for e-scooter and e-bike legislation.
“We expect the APPG to focus on a range of issues that will help micromobility provision reach its full potential in the UK. These include but are not limited to parking models, accessibility and safety.
“We hope the APPG provides a platform for the government, operators and wider stakeholders to align on the regulations needed to create an environment where Voi and others can deliver safe, affordable and green travel choices to as many people as possible.”
Voi has just hit the milestone of 40 million rides in the UK. Its research shows that micromobility will help deliver on the government’s ambitions for growth by boosting high street spending by £106 million annually.
