E-Scooters Have Arrived in Cornwall, but Not Everyone Can Ride

Fancy grabbing one for a quick trip across town? Before you do, there are a few things worth knowing, because not everyone is allowed to get on one.

Beryl e-scooters have arrived in Newquay as part of a Cornwall-wide trial, with the first machines appearing on the streets from 18 June. Newquay is one of several towns taking part, joining Falmouth, Penryn, Penzance and Truro.

The scheme runs alongside the Beryl bikes already in town and uses the same parking bays. It forms part of a two-year national trial approved by the Department for Transport to work out whether e-scooters have a place in local transport.

How much they cost

A ride costs £1 to unlock, then 22p per minute. Buy minute bundles in advance and the unlock fee is dropped. (For comparison, a Beryl bike is £1 to unlock and 19p a minute.)

Who can actually ride one

This is where some people will fall at the first hurdle. You need to be 18 or over and hold a valid physical driving licence. Registration is done through the Beryl app, which runs a facial recognition check, and you have to watch a short two-minute guide on how and where to ride before your first trip.

Where you can and can’t ride

To make the trial possible, Cornwall Council brought in an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order. In plain terms, you can ride on roads, cycle lanes and shared-use paths wherever cycling is already allowed, unless a sign says otherwise. Pavements are out. Devon and Cornwall Police class e-scooters as motor vehicles, and only rental scooters in a trial area are legal to ride on the road, with the right licence.

How many are out there

Newquay gets around 50 scooters. Penzance and the Falmouth and Penryn area get roughly 50 each, with about 25 in Truro. Beryl runs and maintains the whole fleet, with local contractors handling the servicing.

Have your say

Cornwall Council says it will be watching usage, safety and the wider impact closely throughout the trial, and the findings will feed into national research as well as the decision on whether the scheme stays.

A public survey opens on 2 July through the council’s Let’s Talk Cornwall site, and feedback runs until the start of January next year. The council will then weigh the comments against its monitoring data before deciding whether to make the scheme permanent, change it or remove it. A decision is not expected until around spring 2027.