For those with specific accessibility needs in the UK, micromobility might not seem like a feasible solution for any more nuanced travel requirements.
However, with advancements in accessible micromobility consistently being delivered across countries like North America, what’s holding the UK back from developing accessible transport innovations in the same way?
At MOVE 2025, panelists Harry Fisher, Innovation Manager at the Motability Foundation, James Bolton, UK General Manager at Voi Technology, Giulio del Balzo, Senior Policy Manager at Bolt and Alice Pleasant, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Lime discussed just some of the problems micromobility operators face in bringing their services to streets across the UK.
During the panel, which was moderated by Martyn Lee, Founder of EV News Daily; the discussion touched on the need for consistent, streamlined regulation, the cruciality of collaboration and, overwhelmingly, the need for more accessibility and inclusion when it comes to micromobility.
Speaking about inclusion; Fisher stated that a survey published by the Motability Foundation discovered that only 10% of disabled transport users claimed they had tried a form of micromobility, even if 53% believed it may improve their lives in some way, with 33% claiming they were unsure they were even an option to them at all.
Fisher also claimed that the survey found that over 40% of disabled people felt that current vehicle types are inaccessible, and with current legislation surrounding micromobility in the UK seemingly prohibiting any form of innovation within the sector, vehicles such as seated e-scooters and three-wheeled bikes are still a long way from seeing approval to operate on roads across the country.
However, whilst legislation may be holding back innovation, there is work being done to bring micromobility experiences to those on the edge of adopting the mode of transport.
In Salford, the Motability Foundation recently held a series of sessions in partnership with Lime, Beryl and Cycling UK to invite disabled transport users to test e-bikes in a safe, controlled and judgement-free environment, which has, according to both Fisher & Lime’s Alice Pleasant, proved extremely effective in both encouraging the public to utilise the vehicles and broaden adoption overall.
Whilst speaking of accessibility issues within micromobility, another issue that seemed to crop up time and time again was problems with parking, something that has plagued micromobility from its earliest introductions across the globe.
Poorly parked e-bikes and e-scooters have the potential to create very real roadblocks, preventing those looking to utilise the vehicles from doing so due to proximity to hazards or, in a lot of cases, the vehicles purely being left on the ground and rendered completely unusable for many people.
Giulio del Balzo stated that Bolt, which has just announced the introduction of a number of its e-bikes onto London streets beginning this Summer, has invested in a new AI system aimed at verifying parking, which, since its introduction, has seen an increase in parking compliance rise from 60% to 95% in Brussels, which the company hopes will lead to better conditions for those looking to hop onto an e-bike once the company launches in the capital over the next few months.
Balzo also mentioned that in order to truly eliminate issues emanating from parking, work must be done to introduce technology to give riders a better idea of parking capacity at their chosen end destination, reducing the possibility of bikes being left in unsuitable locations and providing a consistent, reliable service.
Moving onto user-friendly deployment, James Bolton claimed that Voi currently collects a ‘mindblowing’ 100 billion data points daily, and argued that if that data was shared between operators, government, boroughs and local authorities, the results could trigger a real sea-change for the sector.
And with that, the panel hit on one of the biggest goals of the industry’s entire expansion across the UK: Collaboration.
Each company’s representative on the panel was in full agreement that in order for micromobility to flourish and cement its place in the country, everybody needs to work together on a reliable, affordable, safe, accessible, inclusive mode of transport for everybody.
Through data, procurement, regulation, legislation and innovation, the sector has a chance to become a mainstay in international culture, but in order to do so it has to find a common voice and one that will speak for itself, government and those who need it most. Hopefully this is just a sign of great things to come.
