It takes two (or three, or four) – but only if your mobility aid is a cycle!
Disabled people who can cycle can use multi-person options such as tandems, triplets and people-transporting cycles – which are all available with e-assist. Disabled people can easily travel with three other adults or four children – provided that they cycle.
But in the UK, fully-powered mobility aids are only allowed to carry one person in public spaces – including pavements and roads.
That’s restricting Disabled people’s ability to make essential journeys using safe, efficient aids that work for them – and which are legal in many other countries.
David from North Yorkshire got in touch with us to tell us about why he and his wife Gill decided to use a tandem mobility scooter, their frustration with the current rules and what their tandem mobility scooter enables them to do:
David and Gill’s tandem mobility scooter
“I’m aged 78 and have Parkinson’s. My wife Gill is 78 also and fractured her hip in March 2025, resulting in 12 weeks in hospital. She’s out now and is left with mobility problems and possibly Parkinson’s too. We have a VW Polo but she doesn’t want to drive yet and I try to avoid it – diabetic eye problems (DVLA aware and hospital treatment every 6 weeks).
I bought a used mobility scooter a year ago and it gets me to town – a round trip of 4 miles. We have a token bus service – two a day, but taxis are the only real means of getting around. My wife lacks the confidence to drive a mobility scooter even on the pavements: finding dropped kerbs can be a nightmare.
I researched on the web and found East Anglian Mobility in Lowestoft who made and sold Tandem (fore and aft) Scooterpac dual seat scooters for about £5000 new.
I knew from the start that two seaters in the UK (other than on private land) were not legal but various firms were selling the tandems for Class 3 use and reported no prosecutions. Public liability insurance was a “must” and Surewise said they would insure it, even when I said it was illegal. They later checked again with their underwriters who withdrew the policy and refunded my premium!
There is real confusion, even amongst the professionals!
For example, amongst the paperwork received with the scooter was a pre-filled application to DVLA to register the Tandem for Class 3 use, with the “How many seats?” box filled in with “1”. When I tackled the suppliers, they said the forms originated with DVLA themselves!
I’ve written to the Minister of Transport through my MP asking that the Invalid Carriage law be modernised to allow up to two disabled people to be carried on a suitably-designed vehicle, and I received word from the Minister for the Future of Roads that on 21 July this year the government announced a review of all forms of disabled transport to reflect 2025 rather than 1970.
How long before they decide what to do is anyone’s guess.
Meanwhile, we ride around… to the smiles of old people (even got a “Cool!” from a teenager yesterday) – amazed that we ride outside the law!
Police have not bothered us though I did ask N Yorks Police before buying one if they knew of any prosecutions. They answered after having obviously taken advice that we could be reported if seen using it in public.”
Multi-person fully-powered mobility aids – a common need
David and Gill are far from the only people being affected by UK laws against using fully-powered mobility aids that can carry more than one person in public spaces.
In 2022, ETA insurers published a blog asking why tandem mobility scooters are illegal – and have been receiving responses in their comments section for the past 3 years, mostly from older Disabled people who need tandem scooters for similar reasons to David and Gill:
“I have severe balance problems a have a mobility scooter. My Wife who has been my carer for some six years has developed dementia and finds it difficult to get around. A tandem scooter would make all the difference to be able to socialise in the village of Quorn where we live.
We are increasingly finding it difficult to get out of the house. In order to do so she grips on the seat of my scooter which puts her out of my sight line.
Any relaxation of the rule against tandem or two seater scooters would benefit us greatly.
We are destined to be prisoners in our own home shortly.” – Alfred, 2025
“I am 95 and my driving licence has been revoked. I have difficulty in walking more than 200 yards and my wife is 90 and is registered disabled because she has osteoarthritis in both knees and aortic stenosis. She has to use a 3 wheeled tricycle but can still only walk about 100 yards.
Without a car she is completely housebound and a tandem scooter would be the only other way she could get out. She is unable to control a mobility scooter herself.
The UK law on tandem scooters is very harsh and out of line with many other countries we have visited in the past. It is my opinion that this law should be reviewed.” – Michael 2025
“My parents have brought a tandem scooter to enable them to get around their village as my mother has dementia which has caused her to be disabled physically – she cannot walk more than a couple of steps unaided and it is too difficult for my father to push her wheelchair up and down the village to get to the village hall etc or up to the recreation ground.
The tandem would enable them to get out and about together – their village is on a slope and therefore is too much for my father to negotiate with her wheelchair. It seems ridiculous that the tandem cannot be used when single mobility scooters are allowed so why couldn’t a tandem have the same access rights in a road or pavement. It would be far safer than negotiating getting a car out and having to get my mother in and out of a car, find somewhere to park the car etc etc.” – Rachel, 2025
“I am 83 years of age my wife is 80 we are 2 miles away from town I still drive, but would love to stop! We have a Mercedes 4×4 diesel Automatic and a Mercedes Camper Automatic and would love to be able to buy a double mobility Scooter neither of us can walk more than a few yards and have a blue badge and I have Spina Bifida
And to stop driving would be a blessing.
I don’t drive at night. I don’t turn right if I can help it and I’m cautious what time of day we go out i.e. less traffic.” – Tom, 2025
People from other demographics who commonly need multi-person aids include Disabled parents, grandparents and carers who need to transport children on their mobility aids. Again, can be done legally by Disabled people who are able to use cycles as their mobility aids – but it’s essentially impossible for people who use mobility scooters, wheelchairs or other innovative mobility devices to travel with or transport other people legally using their mobility aids.
We agree with David, Gill and all the other commenters we’ve seen on this topic: Mobility aids should be allowed to carry more than one person. Urgent changes are needed.