Towns could get e-scooter rental trial under new plans

Some towns in Dorset could get a regulated e‑scooter rental trial under new proposals.

Dorset Council says it has been offered the chance to participate in a national government-supported e-scooter trial that could offer residents and visitors a new way to make short journeys.

Before a final decision is taken, councillors across all parties are being asked to give their views on how a "time‑limited, tightly controlled trial" could work in selected urban areas, including Weymouth, Dorchester, Portland, Chickerell, Corfe Mullen and Upton.

The local authority says councillors will consider issues including safety, enforcement and the impact on people with disabilities.

A report setting out the plans will go to the council's Place and Resources Overview Committee next Thursday.

At this stage, councillors will review the proposal and provide feedback before any decision is taken by Cabinet at a later date, with final approval needed by the Department for Transport..

The report states that the Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, has raised concerns about the potential impacts on policing resources, anti-social behaviour, enforcement clarity and the "indirect encouragement" of private e-scooter ownership.

It adds: "These concerns are acknowledged and addressed through proposed scheme conditions, including clear accountability for operators, strong governance, ongoing engagement with Dorset Police, and the ability to amend or withdraw the scheme if impacts prove unacceptable."

It is proposed that an e-scooter trial in Corfe Mullen and Upton would be an extension of the Beryl Bike scheme already in place in those towns, and a third-party contractor would be sought for the other towns in the scheme.

Across England, regulated e‑scooter trials are already operating in towns and cities, including neighbouring Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, where thousands of journeys have been made using rental scooters.

In 2025 the highest number of e-bikes and e-scooters were seized across Dorset by police in an effort to curb anti-social behaviour.

Dorset Police said 99 e-bikes - including scramblers and motorbikes - along with 128 illegal e-scooters had been taken under road safety laws in response to an increase in reported incidents over illegal e-vehicle misuse.