Medical drone deliveries and e-scooter legalisation on the cards

Medical drone deliveries and legalising e-scooters are just two proposals the Government has announced as part of a consultation to make journeys easier, smarter and greener, it said.

Alongside the review, funding of £90 million will lead to trials in three “future transport zones”: Portsmouth and Southampton, the West of England and Derby and Nottingham.

The Government said the zones will provide real-world testing, which will include working with local bodies such as hospitals and airports to test innovative ways to transport people and goods.

For example, one of the projects will involve drones carrying medical supplies from clinics on the Isle of Wight to mainland hospitals, a move intended to help speed up diagnoses by cutting time spent travelling on ferries and roads. Portsmouth and Southampton will also test last-mile deliveries for freights.

West of England Combined Authority will test booking platforms that allow people to book one journey across multiple modes of transport. It will also trial self-driving cars to transport people between Bristol airport and central Bath. 

Derby and Nottingham have been granted more than £15 million to invest in new mobility hubs that encourage more widespread uptake of public transport, bike hire, car clubs and electric vehicles. 

The Government is also considering how to ensure the safe use of e-scooters on roads. This includes a minimum age, vehicle standards and insurance requirements. E-scooters are currently illegal but have been an increasingly common sight over the past few years.

The Government will also consider whether people could book buses on their phone, operating in a similar way to on-demand private hire vehicles, while also making payment simpler.