Transport for London (TfL) held a review into e-scooters and found that defective lithium batteries can cause them to burst into flames.
This comes as last month a passenger who was travelling with an e-scoooter burst into flames on a Tube as Parsons Green Station.
TfL warned that should a fire break out in an enclosed area, such as a bus or on the Tube, this could lead to “significant harm” to passengers and staff.
TfL said in a statement, “This review has found that the incidents that occurred were caused by defective lithium-ion batteries which ruptured without warning.
“This led to fires that caused toxic smoke to be released.
“TfL consider that if this were to happen again and fires occurred in an enclosed area like a Tube train or a bus, there could be significant harm to both customers and staff, as well as secondary injuries from customers trying to escape the area.”
The e-scooter ban applies to all TfL services, including tubes, buses and trams.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) also back the ban, as they have attended more than 50 fires this year involving e-bikes and e-scooters.
“This year, firefighters have attended more than 50 fires involving e-scooters and e-bikes – which is double the total amount seen in 2020”, the LFB said in a statement.
Over the last 12 months 131 pedestrians in Britain were injured by e-scooters it was revealed in November.
The Department for Transport said 37 of those who were injured were “serious,” whilst three e-scooter riders were killed and 729 were injured.
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