UK falls behind rivals on micro mobility rules

EXCLUSIVE

GUY TAYLOR

DELAYS to legislation covering electric bikes and scooters are preventing manufacturers and operators from expanding in the UK, and could even see them leave the British market altogether if new rules aren't passed soon, the government has been warned.

Julian David, chief executive of trade association Tech UK, has called on the government for regulatory certainty in order to increase the production of ebikes and e-scooters in the UK.

“We are now rapidly losing pace as the EU has already taken steps to legalise e-scooters and is drafting blocwide cargo bike regulations to come into effect from next year,” David said in a letter to transport secretary Mark Harper, seen by City A.M. David warned that a "split-regulatory model between the UK and EU will hinder the ability of manufacturers and operators to scale, resulting in many UK operations winding down or ceasing altogether." The UK is currently the only country in Europe not to have moved forward with formal regulations outlining how and where passengers can use micro-mobility technologies.

E-bikes and e-scooters are currently allowed on the roads under an ongoing government trial launched in 2020, but the path towards permanent legality has not been made clear.

Hal Stevenson, e-scooter group Lime's senior public affairs manager, told City A.M. that the ongoing trail shows escooters "can safely deliver sustainable transport options in towns and cities across the UK".

The London-listed carrier has seen passenger number increases in recent months

Wizz Air to report huge loss but smoother flight path lies ahead

GUY TAYLOR

ANALYSTS expect Wizz Air to report a net loss of nearly half a billion pounds on Thursday as soaring jet fuel costs weigh the budget airline down. Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said while a strengthening euro offered some relief to rising fuel costs, “these still rose by north of 60 per cent last quarter, leading the group to expect