Safety:

At ScooTours, we’re all about micro-mobility tours in the UK. This means we want to utilise new and exciting urban vehicles to explore the streets of London and Cambridge. Currently, we offer tours on Electric Scooters and Electric Bikes! We believe by running these experiences, we are also helping to promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism.

Our tours are planned to be as safe as possible. We understand that a lot of our customers are not regular cyclists in London, or have never used an e-scooter before. Therefore, safety is our number 1 priority. Here are a few things we have done to create a safe riding experience on our tours:

• All of our tours begin with a Safety Tutorial. This includes a description of the vehicle, a demonstration and an opportunity to practice. We will also cover the rules of the road and outline how to use them correctly on the streets of the UK.
• When developing our individual tour routes, we use scooter-friendly roads and cycle lanes wherever possible. On average, most of our London tours consist of 80%+ Cycle lanes.
• All of our tours have a group capacity of 10 customers.
• Every customer is provided with a helmet, which is mandatory to wear.
• All of our guides are fully trained and experienced cyclists / e-scooter users.
• All of our guides wear high-visibility jackets.
• When you create an account on one of our partner apps, there will be safety tips available to you. We will also include links to additional safety information in our confirmation email. So you can arrive as prepared as possible!

All of these steps are designed so every participant is comfortable and safe throughout their experience. Check out our wide variety of micro-mobility based tours. Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to check out our FAQs or contact us directly at [email protected].

Scroll down to meet our e-scooters and e-bikes  … 

All of our e-scooter tours are run in partnership with leading e-scooter rental companies. In London, we are proud to partner with Dott. These companies have developed their vehicles to be as safe and user friendly as possible. They are designed to be used frequently in urban areas by regular people. That means whether you’re a first-time user or a scooter expert, our tours are for you!

Below you’ll find a graphic of a Dott e-scooter. The scooters we use typically include the following features:

• Front and rear brakes.
• Front and rear lights, including brake light.
• Turn signals.
• Bell.
• Swappable battery
• Phone holder.

For more information about how safe our e-scooters are, check out our various partner websites. They have lots of content about their vehicles and how to use them safely.

Our London e-scooter tours are partnered with Dott – “Dott X Safety”

Our Cambridge e-scooter tours are partnered with Voi – “Voi X Ride Safe”

Scroll down to see our top e-scooter safety tips … 

E-Scooters are one of the newest and most exciting forms of micro-mobility hitting the streets of the UK! Currently, the only legal way to use an e-scooter is through a trial rental scheme. Like the one Dott are part of in London or Voi in Cambridge.

We know a lot of our tour customers are first time users, so below you’ll find some of our top tips for using an e-scooter! For more tips, hints, information and just general chat about the future of micro-mobility check out our blog.

Top Tips:

• Helmets – This is the most important tip you will read. It is recommended to wear a helmet at all times, as well as high visibility clothing. All participants of a ScooTours e-scooter tour will be provided with a helmet.

 

• Take it Easy – E-Scooters provide a quick and convenient way of zipping through your city. That being said, riding responsibly is of paramount importance. There is no need to hurtle around town as quickly as you can. You should always be conscious of road regulations, as well as being aware of other vehicles and pedestrians. In fact, the maximum speed for an e-scooter is set at 14mph. Rental companies will limit the speed of their e-scooters to match this regulation.

 

• Front foot pointing forward, back foot to the side – If you have ever used a skateboard or snowboard, then this will come naturally to you. If not, do not fear. It doesn’t take long to get used to the position. This is definitely the recommended position as it helps with balance, steering and general comfort!

 

• Bend your knees a little – Again, if you’re used to playing sports, working out at the gym or just general exercise this tip should come naturally. Keeping your knees bent will help with comfort and keep you alert if you suddenly need to stop!

 

• Don’t hold the handlebars too hard – You do not need to hold on to the handlebars for dear life, this is not a roller-coaster that you’ve been dragged on to. Keep a steady grip, but allow yourself some flexibility to steer from side to side. By keeping this grip you’ll remain balanced, ride through any bumps without hurting your wrists.

 

• Centre of gravity – your centre of gravity should be between the front and back wheels. This means you should aim to stand a comfortable distance from the handlebars. You do not need to stand too close to them, particularly if you need to brake suddenly.

 

• Drive safely – You should always be aware of your surroundings, particularly other vehicles on the road. You should try to anticipate any stoppages, giving yourself plenty of time to break.

 

• Practice makes perfect – Like anything, the more you do it the better you’ll become. However, when first starting out you should begin by practising the basics first. Try scooting in a straight line and stopping. Also, try an emergency brake, so then if you ever need to do this in real life it’s not a shocking experience. If you have ever ridden a bicycle or driven a car think about how comfortable you are today, compared to when you first started learning. Also, consider some of the things you went through when you first started learning. How to go. How to brake. How to turn safely. Emergency Brake etc.

Scroll down to see the current rules and regulations surrounding e-scooters, including where you can use them legally … 

Due to current UK legislation, the only legal way to use an e-scooter is part of a government-approved rental scheme. You can read more about this on the government website here:  “E-Scooter Trials Guidance For Users.” 

When you use a rented e-scooter you need to follow similar rules and regulations as cyclists. A full list of rules can be found via the link above. Here is a list of the most important rules to consider:

Rules & Regulations:

• You must be in possession of a valid driving license (more information on this is listed further down the page)
• E-Scooters should only be used within the local area hosting the trial
• E-Scooters should be used by one person at a time.
• You must not tow anything using an e-scooter
• You must not use a mobile phone when using an e-scooter
• You may use a screen to display navigation information, but this must be set up prior to setting off
• Always ensure bags or other small items you are carrying will not cause a danger to you or others around you – for example, never hang them from the handlebars
• You should not ride an e-scooter while drunk or otherwise intoxicated – you may be prosecuted under drink or drug driving laws as careless and dangerous driving offences also apply to users of e-scooters
• You should also refer to the terms of use of the e-scooter operator before renting a trial e-scooter

Scroll down to see find out more about our e-bike safety policies as well as our tour requirements …