Research with rental e-scooter users

We are carrying out a short survey of people who have used rental e-scooters, and follow-up interviews with a selection of those who take part in the survey. More information about the survey and interviews can be found below.

User survey

Taking part in the user survey will involve completing a short questionnaire. This will take 10-15 minutes. To complete the survey, please click on the link in the email or text message you have received from us. You do not have to complete it all in one go and you can return to it at any time.

Everyone who completes the survey will be offered the opportunity to be entered into a prize draw, for a chance to win a £100 shopping voucher.

The survey will ask you about:

  • General information about you and your local area, to help us understand patterns in who uses e-scooters.
  • How often you rent e-scooters.
  • Your main reasons for renting an e-scooter.
  • Information about your last e-scooter journey.
  • Your views about the safety of e-scooters, and any collisions you may have had while using an e-scooter.

Please note that user survey is not compatible with screen readers, however you can still take part over the phone. Please email E-ScootersStudy@natcen.ac.uk or call us free on 0800 652 0601 to arrange this. NatCen’s accessibility statement can be found at https://natcen.ac.uk/accessibility

User interviews

Everyone who completes the user survey will be asked whether they are happy to be contacted about further research to help us understand views and experiences of using rental e-scooters in more detail.

If you provide your consent, we may be in touch to give you more information and check whether you would like to go ahead. This will take the form of an interview with one of NatCen’s or Arup’s researchers, lasting up to 60 minutes.

You will have the choice of taking part in the interview by telephone or video call (using Microsoft Teams). In the interview, we might ask you about:

  • General information about you and your local area, to help us understand patterns in who uses e-scooters.
  • Your main reasons for renting an e-scooter.
  • How you use e-scooters, including the types of journeys you use them for.
  • Your views on e-scooters, including the rules and their safety.
  • Your suggestions for how the rental e-scooter trials could be improved.

Further information

Do I have to take part?

You do not have to take part, and you can change your mind about doing so at any time.

If you do agree to take part in one of the surveys or interviews, you can choose not to answer questions or talk about any experiences that you do not want to discuss. Anything you do share with us will be anonymous. Only the research team at NatCen and Arup will know you have taken part.

How will the information I provide be used?

For more information on how your data will be used, visit the privacy notice.

Why was I selected to take part?

DfT may ask e-scooter operators to share the names and contact details of their customers with third-party research contractors. This is for the sole purpose of follow-up research, to understand users’ experiences and learn more about the rental e-scooter trials. You can find more information about this in the DfT’s e-scooter trials privacy statement.

For this research, the DfT asked several e-scooter operators to share the contact details of recent e-scooter users for participation in the survey. From this, we have carefully selected a group of users to invite to the user survey, to ensure that we hear from a wide range of e-scooter users across the trial areas in England.

We will also carefully select user interview participants to ensure that we hear from a range of people. Please note that we only have a limited number of spaces in the interviews, so we may not be able to contact everyone who expresses an interest.

Contact us

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss the research, please contact us using the details below:

How do I know this research is genuine?

If you wish to verify the authenticity of any texts, emails or telephone calls that you receive from external research organisations about this research with NatCen, you may contact us using the details above. You can also verify the authenticity of this research by contacting the DfT at: micromobility@dft.gov.uk.

Further support

For further information and advice on road safety and coping with road accidents, here are some resources you may find useful:

  • Samaritans is a charity providing confidential, unbiased emotional support, 24 hours a day, for people who feel distressed, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide. Helpline: 116 123.
  • After Trauma is a website that connects and supports survivors of traumatic injury and their families. The website also contains information and resources to help survivors and families on the recovery journey.
  • BRAKE is a road-safety charity dedicated to stopping deaths and injuries on roads and support people bereaved and seriously injured by road crashes. They provide a free support services and online guides.
  • RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims in the UK. They provide information and support services to people bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes.
  • The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a charity that aims to save lives, prevent life-changing injuries which occur as a result of accidents, and offer road safety advice.