Motoring campaigners have called for a crackdown on moped riders using learner plates as it emerged companies are offering the vehicles for hire from as little as £7 a day.
MailOnline revealed how L-plates are being used routinely by drivers working for takeaway apps in order to allow them to operate full time without having to pass a test.
A further investigation has revealed a string of companies offering moped hire at bargain basement prices, with adverts promising clients hoping to start up as delivery couriers that they can hit the roads ‘instantly’.
Anyone over 16 can start riding a moped after undertaking compulsory basic training (CBT), a one-day course costing between £110 and £200 that does not include a test element.
While instructors can refuse to issue a certificate to anyone who has not completed all parts of the training or they deem unsafe, the pass rate is typically high – 84 per cent according to the latest available statistics.
Hugh Bladon, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said the ease with which ‘unqualified’ moped riders could start working as full-time delivery drivers was ‘extraordinary’.
‘They shouldn’t be allowed to just slap an L-plate on,’ he told MailOnline. ‘You also wonder what the insurance situation is – do they have proper insurance, and does anyone check?
‘Someone needs to get a grip of this. There are people whizzing around with very little idea of traffic law and that could be dangerous.’
A row of mopeds used by food delivery app drivers outside McDonalds in Clapham, southwest London, on Monday – all of which have L-plates
Two moped riders pictured using L-plates yesterday afternoon in Wood Green, north London
Campaigners have called for a crackdown on takeaway drivers riding mopeds with learner plates. The vehicles are being offered for hire from as little as £7 a day
The average cost of a mid-range legal moped is around £2,400, according to Auto Trader, which may put them out of reach for people without savings.
But there are plenty available for hire, with many companies specifically targeting food delivery drivers in their marketing.
One company – SKA Motors – advertising mopeds for hire for as little as £60 a week including MOT and road tax, while a second, VIP Luxury Chauffeur, charges £66.
In both cases, riders would have to buy additional insurance if they want to use the vehicles for business purposes.
A third, Scoots Hire, has a headline figure of £7 a day for a Honda Vision 50CC ‘delivery bike’. Riders are advertised with London food delivery insurance for £6.04 per day, taking the total price just above £13.
There is no suggestion any of these companies are doing anything wrong, as it is perfectly legal to hire a moped as long as you have a valid CBT certificate and insurance – including business insurance if you are riding commercially.
However, campaigners are concerned that the combination of lax requirements for new moped riders and cheap hire prices is creating a problem for other road users.
Official figures show 188,125 CBT certificates were issued in the financial year 2023 to 2024 and 104,900 in the financial year 2024-25 up to September.
The average cost of a mid-range legal moped is around £2,400 according to Auto Trader, but there are plenty available for hire, with many companies specifically targeting food delivery drivers in their marketing
Another company prices their service at £66 a week and references delivery apps Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo
Campaigners are concerned that the combination of lax requirements for new moped riders and cheap hire prices is creating a problem for other road users
The number of L-plates on this line of mopeds pictured yesterday in Wood Green, North London, shows just how widely they are being used by delivery drivers
A delivery driver carrying items picked up from a supermarket to their moped in Wood Green yesterday
Almost every moped driver pictured by MailOnline in Wood Green yesterday had an L-plate
The mopeds have became a favourite of food app delivery drivers due to their lightweight design which enables them to weave in and out of traffic and park up easily, as well as being ultra low cost
A line of delivery drivers’ mopeds in North London, nearly all of which have an L-plate on display
The L-plates can be obtained simply by having a provisional licence and then completing a compulsory basic training (CBT) course to get a certificate
It has been reported that some hire firms offer mopeds to drivers for as little as £7 per day
Four food app delivery drivers’ mopeds parked up side-by-side, all with L-plates attached
Internet forums are full of people boasting about how easy they found the training, which then only requires drivers to take a test within two years
A Deliveroo driver stands by his moped, which like many of his colleagues features the red learner L-plates
Internet forums are full of people boasting about how easy they found the training, with one writing on Reddit: ‘I did mine in under two hours.
‘One hour riding around a car park and then 40 minutes on the road. Never ridden or even sat on a ped prior to that.’
Official figures reveal 248 serious injuries caused by crashes involving mopeds (categorised as having an engine under 50cc with a max speed of around 30mph) across Great Britain in 2023. Two of those led to fatalities.
While these figures pale in comparison to serious incidents involving cars (27,211) or motorcycles with an engine over 50cc (5,582), the presence of so many riders who have never had their abilities tested is causing concern.
Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, told MailOnline: ‘It’s a crazy situation in which we have people working as professional riders, who simply do not have the proper qualifications and level of training required to work safely.
Advocates for tighter regulation of mopeds may also point to their use by criminals, most notoriously phone and luxury handbag thieves operating in London.
Meanwhile, scams involving moped riders deliberately crashing into other vehicles for bogus insurance claims have soared four-fold.
As of August 2024, 4,000 people had been targeted by ‘crash for cash’ schemes in the past three years, analysis of fraudulent claims received by 21 insurers showed.
A number of delivery scooters parked in Clapham, London, with the vast majority featuring L-plates
In this shot, all three mopeds featuring L-plates as a food app driver waits outside for a delivery
Delivery drivers sit in McDonalds in Clapham waiting for their next order to arrive
An L-plate moped driver passes by a pedestrian crossing the road in Wood Green yesterday
A driver on a moped with L-plates carries a Deliveroo box as they make their way through traffic
Some of the drivers are wearing branding clothing for delivery companies such as Just Eat
Campaigners have called for rules around the use of L-plates to be tightened
Direct Line’s intelligence manager Sarah Cashford blamed the ‘exponentially massive rise’ in this type of scam on new hourly pay-as-you-go insurance policies being ushered in for delivery drivers.
The policies make it easier for scammers posing as couriers to insure their mopeds without paying hefty yearly premiums.
A DVSA spokesperson said: ‘Road safety is our absolute priority and Compulsory Basic Training must be completed by all new riders to get the basic skills and knowledge to ride on the road.
‘Once they’ve completed training, learners are allowed to ride learner-legal motorcycles and scooters for up to 2 years while they practise for a full moped or motorcycle test.’
