Operator Nexus has reiterated that e-scooters are banned from the Tyne and Wear Metro network, and says it will adopt a zero‑tolerance enforcement stance from 6 February 2026. Nexus first announced a ban on privately owned e-scooters and e-unicycles for Metro and the Shields Ferry on 13 December 2021 and publicly reaffirmed the policy in January 2026.
The move follows a sharp rise in lithium‑ion battery fires. The London Fire Brigade reported a record 206 fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters in 2025. Survivors have described some battery failures as “like a grenade” going off; LFB officials say firefighters are now attending e-bike or e-scooter fires on average every other day and warn the incidents can be explosive and produce highly toxic smoke in confined spaces.
Nexus says e-bikes will continue to be permitted on the network, noting they are often subject to higher manufacturing standards and have battery designs that are less likely to be damaged. Powered mobility scooters, however, are currently not permitted on Metro stations or platforms; Nexus says it is reviewing accessibility arrangements and may revisit this in future. Folding manual scooters and folding cycles remain subject to the usual rules.
The policy change has been timed to coincide with the phased introduction of Nexus’s new Stadler trains through 2026. Nexus and its partners have briefed emergency services on the new rolling stock’s fire‑safety arrangements; the operator says failing lithium‑ion batteries can release toxic fumes that are a particular risk in tunnels and enclosed stations, which informed the decision to tighten enforcement.
Nexus says station staff, supported by Northumbria Police and the force’s policing arrangements for the network, will refuse travel to anyone found carrying an e-scooter and will ask people to leave paid areas and platforms. Those who refuse to comply may be subject to police action or other penalties under the operator’s enforcement procedures.
