E-scooters banned by train operators over fire risk

Rail operators in the South East will ban e-scooters on trains due to concerns over fire risk.

Southeastern, Southern Rail, Thameslink and Gatwick Express will no longer allow customers to bring e-scooters on to their trains.

The ban will come into force on 1 June.

In a statement, Southeastern said while the likelihood of a fire incident was low, the risk of fire from e-scooters was much higher than other modes of transport.

The operator said e-scooter batteries were subject to “knocks, bumps and scrapes” and therefore more likely to receive damage, which could result in a fire.

Steve Lewis, head of safety and environment at Southeastern, said: “Because it’s impossible for our colleagues at stations and on board our trains to check whether an e-scooter is safe or not, we have to think of everyone’s safety, and so we can’t allow them on our trains.

“It’s just not a risk we’re prepared to take.”

Meanwhile, Southern Rail said the ban was due to the “limited regulation around the lithium-ion battery, which has the potential to cause harm should it malfunction”.

“We understand that you may travel to and from our services in a variety of ways. However, we are committed to keeping you and our people safe, which means all e-scooters, e-unicycles, e-skateboards and hoverboards are not permitted on our trains or in our stations from 1 June,” a spokesperson said.

Customers will also not be allowed to store e-scooters in railway station storage facilities or take them on bus replacement services.

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