Mr. James Padden:

I have learned lots. I was there for 12 years, which was a long time. It is fair to say that when we brought in the trials, we did it quickly because of Covid-19. Many people were uneasy about this new mode being introduced into 52 areas across England. We found that cynicism was set aside. We saw a modal shift from the private car and taxi of a third. We saw that safety was comparable with bicycles both in terms of the inherent safety of the vehicle and how those vehicles are ridden by users. We saw that people used them for valuable journeys, and not just for joy rides and not just for fun. They were going to school, college and education. We saw that over-regulation can kill the service. If you have overly strict geofencing in an area of speed limits kicking in and no-go areas, it is confusing for the user and becomes less safe, ironically. We saw that it is crucial to have standards around the vehicles themselves. I would urge members to look at the vehicle standards that will come out in the UK and that existed for the trials in the UK. They were introduced by the German federal government. I urge members to look at batteries as a safety feature-----