It is always a good sign when I cannot fit a mention of every item and area we cover in this newsletter into my introduction. I hope you get use from this packed edition.
We are now out of the blocks with our first‑ever work on AVs. Do check this out below. We think there are important questions unanswered at the moment and important opportunities unseized. I’d be delighted to talk further with anyone about it.
We have also published the first metrics and user survey on London’s car clubs after the departure of Zipcar. They make for impactful and uncomfortable reading. We continue to engage heavily in this space and are very pleased that the latest draft of the London Plan is significantly improved for shared mobility, per our asks. Take a look.
There are also some important developments in shared micromobility and we take a look at where we think shared transport and the new Prime Minister's vision meet up.
Any questions or thoughts are most welcome.
Best wishes,
Richard Dilks
Chief Executive, CoMoUK
News & insights 🗞️
Driverless shouldn’t mean directionless
We have published our first‑ever work on AVs. We are sure it will not be our last. In it, we make the case for AVs to not just confined to robotaxi use but to be experimented with across a range of transport options – all of which should be integrated with sustainable modes of transport; be sustainable themselves by supporting decarbonisation and reducing car dependency; is equitably distributed to target groups most affected by transport inequalities.
Our report makes seven recommendations on: the need for a clear vision; prioritisation of the shared use of robotaxi AVs; piloting AV car club services; prioritising public funding into use cases with the greatest social value; exploring different ways of integrating AVs with sustainable transport modes; engage with disabled people’s organisations to define accessibility standards.
We have been well aware that our fantastic annual car club report does not cover London fully. This is because the research was in field while the capital’s previously dominant operator, Zipcar, was still operational. So we have run an additional survey with former users of Zipcar to find out what they have been doing since the capital lost 90% of its car club service.
A remarkable 215 of the 480 we asked responded. We also collected comments from them. You can find all this here. The findings are clear: 85% said their travel plans were strongly or very strongly affected by Zipcar leaving; 55% are considering buying or leasing a car; and 9% already have. Only 9% are able to use another car club.
We have also published first-ever figures on London’s car club fleet. Although there has been a welcome increase of a little over 100 cars since Zipcar left, the capital’s fleet overall has shrunk from 2,800 cars to 226.
We continue to track and update borough policies on car club in London. There continues to be patchy but important positivity at borough level, but still a lack of vision, leadership and help across London as a whole.
The draft of the next London Plan takes a long‑overdue step forward in dropping the inaccurate and unhelpful suggestion that car clubs have similar negative impacts to privately‑owned cars. Instead, it suggests that developments should consider providing for car clubs, with reference to measures of connectivity in the area, where they can support car‑light development.
It’s great to see the London Plan finally acknowledging the key role that car clubs can play in reducing dependency on the private car, something we very much called for in our response to the previous consultation.
There are also positive steps forward on cycle hire, with the recommendation for developments to provide space for public‑hire cycle and e-scooter schemes, and even a suggestion of providing extra shared cycle space in cases where private cycle parking space requirements can’t be met.
This revised text is now being consulted on until October. We will of course be responding and are interested to hear views from anyone on this – get in touch with Richard. The revised London Plan will be finalised by early 2028.
New shared micromobility schemes
We are delighted to be part of the new ground-breaking bike share scheme connecting the 150‑acre RHS Bridgewater garden and Walkden train station in Greater Manchester. You can read more in Zag Daily.
This is a partnership using cycles from retailer Manchester Bikes and CoMoUK associate member Mosa’s smart dock technology.
CoMoUK is involved in evaluating the pilot scheme, which has been funded by Active Travel England’s Innovation Fund.
We are also pleased to see new shared e-scooter trials coming through. CoMoUK has pushed for there to be new trials for over half a decade. Leeds; Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Brighton and Hove; Plymouth are all recent examples.
Our Chief Executive Richard recently spoke to the BBC for their In Depth piece on the situation while we wait for e‑scooter legislation.
Finally, the unprecedented rise of bike share in London has continued, with our metrics showing that trips taken have risen from a total of 36.6m by September 2024 to 56.2m by March 2026.
Manchesterism and shared transport – CoMoUK’s view
Andy Burnham's success with local transport in Manchester shows that transport can be a driver of growth. Shared transport has huge, further potential in the UK to give people more low‑cost, low‑carbon options that increase their wellbeing and reduce congestion and pollution for us all.
Our new Prime Minister now has a chance to build on the Better Connected strategy’s commitments to scale up shared transport and the introduction of bike share licencing. To do that, he and his administration need to truly embrace shared transport, recognising it as a crucial collaborator with public transport and active travel, and offering it policy and practical support that fits the large direct and indirect public benefits it delivers to millions, but could deliver to millions more if given a fair wind.
This includes looking at the case for funding where the market won’t go, having a strategic plan for shared transport, and legislating for e‑scooters and other low powered zero tailpipe devices. As the heatwaves continue to build, we hope this new administration agrees that now is the time for bold action to support shared transport.
Ministerial developments
The Government reshuffle has left much of DfT’s ministerial team intact, the exception being Lilian Greenwood MP. Although never listed explicitly, her remit included car clubs. While Simon Lightwood MP has active travel, devolution, integration and EVs as relevant areas, the new minister Justin Madders MP has micromobility.
Our early post‑reshuffle engagements with officials have continued to be positive and we look forward to engaging with all relevant ministers across DfT.
We were delighted to meet recently with the new Welsh transport minister, Deputy Minister Mark Hooper MS. The meeting was very positive and we agreed a number of areas of mutual interest which we have followed up on.
Meanwhile in Scotland we are to meet with senior officials at Transport Scotland after the appointment of Stephen Flynn MSP as the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport.
Product safety and shared micromobility
We responded to the consultation on the recent Product Safety Bill to highlight the particular need for further legislation around powered light vehicles like e‑bikes and e‑scooters. Although e‑scooters are only legal to ride on UK roads in the shared e‑scooter trials running in some locations in England, private e‑scooters are readily available to buy, with very little to prevent illegal riding.
It is also very easy to buy e‑bikes or e‑bike conversion kits for vehicles which bypass legal limits on speed and power. The dangers of this were underscored recently by the revelation that over £110 million has been paid out to people in the UK injured by e‑scooters and e‑bikes. The unsafe and illegal riding of e‑scooters and overpowered e‑bikes is injuring pedestrians and having a severe negative impact on public perception of e‑scooters, despite overwhelmingly positive safety evidence from legal trials of shared e‑scooters.
All of this serves to further highlight the urgent need for legislation on e‑scooters, which would set standards for all users. We await the promised government consultation on e‑scooter legislation later this year.
So we are delighted to show evidence of this at a local level, from the Malvern Hills Car Club. This shows that a member spending £2,248 per year would get something like: a weekly shopping trip; a weekly social trip; bimonthly health appointment trips; monthly visits to friends/family; a trimonthly weekend away; and an annual two week holiday, all using a shared car. Even on the most modest assumptions of running an old but reliable car of your own, this represents a substantial saving.
Why planning for EVs should include shared EVs
We welcome this guidance report from Clean Cities. It looks at London, Madrid, Paris and Warsaw, comparing existing public EV charging infrastructure and estimating future needs. It is clear‑sighted on how shared transport, public transport and active travel work together in cities and on why it is important to provide for the charging needs of shared cars.
We are in the process of refreshing our own guidance on car club EVs – more on that soon.
Job opportunity
Associate member Go Travel Solutions are recruiting for a new Director. Information can be found here with a closing date of 24 August.
We are also always happy to see and support others researching in this space – here are details of two:
Holly Clapp is a final year student at Aston University completing a transport planning degree apprenticeship with Arcadis. She is looking at how urban mobility hub components should be selected and prioritised. Take Holly's 8 minute survey here.
Michael Woods is a senior fellow in MIT’s Mobility Initiative. His survey looks at experience, safety, equity and usage considerations amongst others. Take Michael's 10 minute survey here.
Shared transport user quote of the month:
"I use shared bikes to enable me to easily continue a journey to work, having walked my children to school. I can’t take my own bike on this part of the journey, so it works brilliantly for me to be able to pick up a shared bike from near the school and cycle to work."
