Tier, which operates in 520 cities across the globe, ran the safety training sessions after several debates were held in the House of Lords with many peers expressing concern around the introduction of e-scooters on roads.
Parliamentarians that attended the sessions included Lord Iain McNicol and Vauxhall MP Florence Eshalomi, who also serves as co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London. As well as test-riding and discussing future regulation, they also learnt how Tier is working to ensure that their e-scooters are not only a sustainable form of transport but also putting the safety of riders and the wider public at the heart of their operations.
Lord Iain McNicol tests a Tier e-scooter
These safety measures include several in-built features such as Tier’s partnership with the ride-hailing app Free Now to discourage ‘drink riding’ and its Safety Pricing, which ensures that riders are not charged when e–scooters are stationary, for example at traffic lights, to prevent reckless riding.
Tier, alongside the other London operators and Transport for London, is also developing a ‘universal sound’ for rental e-scooters to alert other road users and particularly people with sight loss, of their approach, in partnership with UCL’s specialist Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL).
“The safety of TIER’s operations is our number one priority and in order to ensure that this is implemented across the industry and within future regulation, it is integral that we are speaking to policymakers who will be developing e-scooter legislation,” says Georgia Yexley, UK and Ireland general manager for Tier. “It was fantastic to host this event with MPs and Peers and hear their views about e-scooters and their presence in the transport mix. Using our experience across the globe, and as the Government looks to introduce legislation on e-scooters, we look forward to continuing these discussions with policymakers to make sure that the UK’s regulation is world-leading, with safety and inclusivity at its heart.”
