Man fined £327 for riding e-scooter

A 19-YEAR-old has appeared in court for driving an electric scooter without a licence or insurance policy.

Bristol Magistrates’ Court. was told that Markus Nathan Jeffery Bush was driving an electric scooter along Gill Avenue, in Fishponds, on April 9 this year when he failed to stop when required to by a uniformed police officer.

Bush, of Pendock Road, Fishponds, was driving the electric scooter without the appropriate licence and the electric scooter – which was being used ‘on a road or other public place’ – did not have an insurance policy in force as required by law.

Bush pleaded guilty to the offences when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.

He was ordered to pay £327 and his driving record was endorsed with six points.

Under current UK law, it is illegal to use “powered transporters” – a term used to cover a variety of novel and emerging personal transport devices, including e-scooters – on a public road without complying with a number of legal requirements.

It is also illegal to use them in spaces that are set aside for use by pedestrians, cyclists, and horseriders, such as the pavement and in cycle lanes.

This means anyone using a “powered transporter” on a public road is committing a criminal offence and can face prosecution.

However, e-scooters can be used legally on private land to which the public does not have access without legal restrictions.

The Government is currently trialling e-scooter hire schemes in several English cities, where it will be legal to ride those scooters on roads and on cycle paths.