LONDON'S year-long e-scooter trial has launched today, in a bid to reduce air pollution and congestion, with Ealing being one of a handful of boroughs taking part.

Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond and the City of London are the other four boroughs involved in the trial.

The trial in Ealing Borough will cover areas in Ealing and Acton to begin with and e-scooters will only be able to be ridden in these designated areas.

The scooters will automatically stop working if they are driven into areas not included in the trial, such as Northolt and Southall.

Participating in the trial is the only way to legally ride an e-scooter in Ealing and only on public roads and cycle lanes - footways will still remain illegal.

Three firms – Dott, Lime and Tier – have been selected by Transport for London (TfL) to take part in the Government-backed trial, which will assess safety and whether riders obey the rules of the road.

Each firm will charge £1 to unlock a scooter, with charges of 15-20p per minute afterwards.

The scooters will be limited to a speed of 12.5mph, which is 3mph slower than what is permitted in other cities across the country, while helmets will not be mandatory, but instead recommended.

Riders will have to take an online safety course before their first hire and rides will only end when the scooter is parked in a designated bay.

Between 60 and 150 scooters will be available in each borough and they will use rechargeable batteries.

Private e-scooters will remain illegal, with a fine of £300 and six points on your licence if caught.

Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, told Sky news this morning: "What we're looking at is what role (e-scooters) can play in London's transport mix.

"We know that every day in London four and a half million car journeys are driven for less than two kilometres so the challenge is, how can we switch people from using those local car journeys to walking, cycling, and public transport?

"This trial is looking at what role can e-scooters play in complementing those modes, in reducing the amount of traffic on our roads, reducing congestion, and hopefully making the city better for everybody."

Alan Clarke, Lime's Director of UK Policy and Government Affairs, said on Sky News: "They've got safety features like dual brakes, or large front wheel and suspension in case people go over potholes, and it keeps people on our scooters and other road users really, really safe.

"That's very, very different from the privately-owned scooters, and we think that when people see these two scooters side by side on the street that difference will become really obvious."

To see a list of all 38 parking locations for e-scooters in Ealing Borough, click HERE.