E-scooters banned on Tube over battery fire risks

ELECTRIC scooters are to be banned on London’s Tube network, buses and trains, amid concerns over fire risks from defective batteries.

Transport for London (TFL) said privately owned e-scooters and e-unicycles, including those that can be folded or carried, would not be allowed on its network or any of its premises from Monday after reports of them catching fire while being carried on its services.

It said it had recorded two incidents in recent weeks of e-scooters or onewheeled e-unicycles emitting toxic smoke as a result of unsafe lithium-ion batteries.

London Fire Brigade has been called to more than 50 cases involving e-scooters and e-bikes this year.

Privately owned electric scooters are illegal to use on public roads or pavements in the UK, although trials of licensed fleets of the vehicles are operated by hire companies, which are subject to more robust safety standards.

However, private scooters remain widely available for sale and are not regulated to a safety standard. The Department for Transport has been considering revising the law to allow e-scooters on roads.

TFL said that the ban would remain under review while the Government considered changing legislation.

Scooter owners could be refused entry to public transport or receive a fine of up to £1,000 if they ignore the restriction.

Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible

‘If fires occurred in a Tube train or a bus, there could be significant harm to both customers and staff’

to overheating if improperly managed and protected, and there have been previous concerns over two-wheeled motorised scooters known as “hoverboards”.

“TFL considers that if this were to happen again and fires occurred in an enclosed area like a Tube train or a bus, there could be significant harm to both customers and staff, as well as secondary injuries from customers trying to escape the area,” the company said in a statement.