Drone deliveries carrying medical supplies from clinics on the Isle of Wight to hospitals on the mainland are also set to be trialled to speed up transit times. The Government will also consult on plans to amend road traffic laws in the UK to accommodate electric scooters, as part of its Future of Transport regulatory review.

Other technology to be explored as part of the programme includes the use of smartphone apps to better plan journeys.

Shared mobility group CoMoUK’s chief executive Richard Dilks welcomed the electric scooter trial announcement and said it is important that testing takes place in real world environments. He added that electric scooters are set to play an important role in allowing “journeys which are longer than most people want to commonly walk, but a bit shorter than journeys they commonly cycle.

“If we serious about getting to net zero”, he added, electric scooters represent “another option, that it sustainable”.

Innovation champion Plexal’s programme director for mobility Francesca Lavey said that allowing e-scooters to be safely tested on roads across the UK is a “significant step towards creating a more sustainable transport future”.

She added: “It is crucial that the UK trials these types of products in real world environments so we understand how the public will use and interact with them before making policy decisions.
 
“Bird's trial in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has already delivered lots of valuable insights, and this is the next step.”

(Photograph: Spin)