We are living in times where the conventional is fast being shown the door, on account of being outdated. Old is out and new is in. Who wants to prevail with things that are a bygone? More so, in an era marked by unprecedented advancement and enhancement in nearly every sphere of life. For instance, you don’t necessarily use the old kind of thermometer anymore, electric thermometers are in. Conventionally-powered cars that run on gasoline aren’t being warmly accepted anymore; battery-powered cars are in.
Even the way we consume general entertainment has undergone tremendous change with subscription-based platforms for consuming movies being the hot sellers in today’s day and age that speaks the Netflix lingo. Perhaps renting a DVD today would only make you sound spectacularly old-fashioned.
Similarly, the means of commuting publicly or privately are undergoing a sea change. Take the city of London for instance. Much like Paris, the idea of hitting the road on an electric scooter is not alien anymore. Well hardly these being the times of a global pandemic whose constant onslaught has led us to think more than we usually do about the way we move about in a city.
Probably, it’s fair and accurate when they say that private taxi services are perfectly sanitised but also hardly incorrect to construe that at least 6 in 10 today would keep off form an Uber taxi. The times are such, you know!
Why not rent a scooter and go green, in the process of doing so?
That being said, buoyed by the British Government’s bold announcement of coming out with E-scooter rental services, a few private players are picking up the pace in the rapidly-rising sector. Although, the plans to give access to Londoners to hit the road in a eco-friendly way was widely spoken about in 2020, it’s this year where we are seeing blazing developments that could be further built into something more constructive and in a more enterprising space.
And in the next few days, believe it or not, but you can actually rent an electric scooter in London, starting June 7.
Did you imagine such a day would come, in a city robustly populated by the famous iconic taxis and tons of private vehicles?
The above being told, the following is what CNBC had to share on the fascinating development:
City transport regulators said Tuesday that a handful of e-scooter rental firms had been selected to run trials in the U.K. capital next month.
The operators include U.S. start-up Lime, German firm Tier and Dutch rival Dott, Transport for London (TfL) said. The pilot will last for 12 months.
Areas covered by the trials include Ealing, Canary Wharf, the City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Richmond upon Thames.
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Riders will be able to travel through — but not start or end trips in — Tower Hamlets. The London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark are also looking to participate in the trials.
Moreover, gone are the days where hiring electric scooters from licensed operators was out of hand. Now, the move is permitted in several cities around the UK. But the catch is that privately-owned electric scooters are still not permissible on London roads or in other parts of the country.
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Two specific requirements, it must be noted, are of importance where it comes to operating an electric scooter brand:
In London, e-scooters will be required to adhere to a maximum speed of 12.5 mph, lower than the national maximum of 15.5 mph. In addition to this, there must be lights at the front and the back along with audible warning systems to caution bystanders or anyone you might meet on the roadside.