New laws regulating the use of e-scooters have come into force.

Rental e-scooters are only available through Government trials in around 23 towns and cities around England.

It is illegal to use private e-scooters on public roads.

European micro-mobility company Voi Technology runs the e-scooter trial in Oxford.

The trial, funded by the Department for Transport, has been extended three times and is now planned to finish in May 2024.

From December 5, people wanting to hire an e-scooter are legally required to provide their name, driving licence number and a photograph of the front of their driving licence to hire operators.

Operators will need to have a system in place for verifying and storing the details provided and be able to provide this information to the police upon request.

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Licence checking software, or customer service team checks, must also be used to check the validity of all driving licences.

Oxfordshire County Council stated: "This is mandated by the Department of Transport (DfT), and Voi also believes that it helps ensure people know the rules of the road and will be more responsible riders.

"Provisional licences can be obtained in one week, through an online application.

"Riders cannot begin their first ride without first verifying their licence in the app.

"Verification is performed by Onfido, a trusted technology that verifies people’s identities using a photo-based identity document, a selfie and artificial intelligence algorithms."

It said Voi has also decided to go beyond the DfT requirements and has included personal accident coverage insurance for all trips, meaning users have motor third-party insurance.

Voi has operated Oxford’s e-scooter programme since it began in Headington in 2021 with 25 e-scooters.

There are now more than 750 Voi e-scooters with more than 62,000 registered users.

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However, there are critics.

The number of people injured in e-scooter collisions in the Thames Valley has nearly doubled in the past year.

Department for Transport figures released in June show 63 casualties were recorded by Thames Valley Police in 2022.

It was up from 33 in 2021 and a significant increase from 18 casualties two years prior.

Meanwhile the police warned residents not to buy an e-scooter as a Christmas present.

They are illegal on any public highway, pavement or in a public space and they will be seized by police.