London’s electric moped share scheme has been delayed after campaigners raised concerns about the helmets that will be provided with each vehicle. HumanForest, which is planning the scheme, says that any moped with a damaged/lost helmet will be removed from service, but also said it would not now be launching this month, as planned.
E-bike-share start-up HumanForest plans to make 100 e-mopeds available in London as an initial trial before doubling that number later in the year.
The vehicles will be capable of speeds of up to 28mph and users will have to be 18 or over and hold at least a provisional licence.
> HumanForest to launch UK’s first electric moped share scheme
The Department for Transport's Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (Sharp) advises anyone using a mode of transport requiring a helmet to ensure it is correctly fitted.
The National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) argues that this is impossible with shared helmets.
Street Access Coordinator, Sarah Gayton – who has in recent times been strongly campaigning against e-scooter share schemes – said: "The e-mopeds can reach 28mph and head safety has to be a key priority. After working on the rental e-scooters campaign for the NFBUK, it became very clear the safety and integrity of shared use helmets can never be guaranteed.
"Unless you own the helmet yourself, you do not know what has happened to it in its past. The helmet could have been dropped or involved in a collision by a previous rider, which could compromise the safety of the helmet. People also have different sized heads and helmets have to be fitted properly to ensure the rider is protected. Making one size helmet fit all at the side of a road can never be safe.
"I am surprised nobody has questioned this safety flaw with the proposed business model and the people who have authorised this business to start should go back and re-look at how they came to that decision."
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The Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) told MyLondon that they were unaware of the scheme.
A HumanForest representative said that safety was an absolute priority and that the scheme would not be launched until all the right precautions were in place.
The firm said it would provide users with an app function to allow the reporting of any concerns and that any e-moped with a damaged or lost helmet would be removed from service.
HumanForest relaunched its e-bike-share scheme last year year after halting the initial roll-out in September 2020 when a bike defect was uncovered.
Users reportedly covered almost 100,000 miles in the first month after the relaunch. This level of interest combined with several further rounds of funding resulted in the plan to expand the fleet with electric mopeds.
