Shared e-scooters have become an important part of the sustainable transport mix, helping thousands of people replace short car journeys every day. Yet they're often overlooked or even viewed negatively in conversations about active travel.

As towns and cities work to improve air quality, reduce congestion and offer people more transport choices, e-scooters are proving to be another practical solution for everyday journeys. They're helping more people travel sustainably, complementing cycling and public transport rather than competing with them.

It's time to look beyond the headlines and recognise the positive role shared e-scooters can play. Here's why.

Fewer car journeys is the shared goal 

With most of us leading hectic, busy lives, it's no surprise that the average distance of car journeys in cities and towns is super short, with many being under three miles, journeys that could be covered by walking or riding.
 

Gently encouraging more people to swap even the occasional car journey for more environmentally friendly forms of travel can make a big difference over time. This matters because transport remains one of the UK’s largest contributors to carbon emissions. 

Not everybody can, or wants to, ride a bike

This is one of the biggest points often missing from the conversation: cycling is fantastic, but it isn’t accessible or appealing for everyone. This can be hard for cycling enthusiasts (including team Beryl!) to appreciate. 
 

But let's take a moment to remind ourselves that some people: 

• have mobility limitations
• lack confidence on a bike
• haven’t ridden in years
• need something less physically demanding
   

E-scooters help to dismantle that barrier to entry; they make sustainable travel feel approachable and achievable for people who may never have considered themselves “cyclists”. We think that's a brilliant thing! 

Shared e-scooters are not the same as private e-scooters

A lot of criticism around e-scooters comes from experiences with illegal, privately owned devices used irresponsibly, but shared schemes like Beryl operate very differently.
 

We are proud that our e-scooters are:

• government-approved as part of official UK trials
• speed capped
• professionally maintained
• regularly safety checked
• designed for responsible shared use
   

Shared schemes are structured, regulated and managed with safety in mind. Recognising and understanding this distinction helps protect all safe, sustainable transport and bust some of the (dare we say it) car propaganda out there. 

Supporting better cycling and transport infrastructure

E-scooters belong in the cycle lane, which helps drive the demand for better infrastructure. Their presence, riding happily alongside bikes and e-bikes, increases the overall volume of active travel users, justifying the need for widened, protected, and well-connected cycle networks.


Better cycle lanes create this fantastic positive feedback loop. It kicks down the intimidation factor. People who were previously a little hesitant to ride alongside heavy traffic feel safe, leading to fewer cars on the road. Win-win! 

E-scooters help more people discover active travel

Most people aren't choosing between a bike and an e-scooter; they're choosing whether to leave the car at home at all. E-scooters can be a great introduction to active travel. The more options people have, the more likely they are to choose the sustainable choice.
 

Beryl has been proud to offer riders e-scooters alongside bikes and e-bikes in Bournemouth, Norwich and more recently rolled out in Leeds, Cornwall, Brighton and Plymouth, with more exciting launches coming soon. 

Ready to see what the buzz is about? Download the Beryl app, hop on an e-scooter and discover how easy sustainable travel can be.