My experience of E-Scooters so far in my area: kids using them after dark on the road, wearing dark clothing and with no lights on, either to see with or be seen. If you hit a pothole (our roads are shit) then the tiny wheels mean you will be sprawled across the road instantly. Do they have brakes? I don't know. Even if they do, they seem to be doing about 15mph and there's no way they will stop effectively in the event of an emergency.
Also, kids zig-zagging through crowded shopping streets on the pavement, on the absolute assumption that everyone in front of them will behave perfectly predictably and not suddenly change direction if they decide to zip quickly into an adjacent shop. Also on the assumption that a little old lady won't be spooked when she suddenly hears a strange noise behind her, making her jump, possibly into its path.
I don't wish to be a wet blanket, I like to see kids having fun, but pretty well every time I have seen these things they are being driven inappropriately. It's not such a big deal if the driver falls off and gets a skinned knee, what concerns me more is the fact that an innocent person who happened to be in the vicinity will get hurt 
.
Why can't kids just have bloody bikes? At least they'd propel themselves and get some exercise, there's a fair chance the brakes would work properly, and they would have to use the roads, which although admittedly can be dangerous for them, pose far less risk for others.
Rant over 
I have no experience of them in this country except in Scotland where adults are increasingly using them — illegally but it seems responsibly.
I’ve used them extensively abroad — I can count several European and Mediterranean countries as well as South America. Never seen any accidents and never seen kids using them. Kids, or persons under 18, should not be able to use them in a public space any more than using a motor vehicle!
Yes, they have brakes. I’ve never had trouble stopping so far.
1. All need a credit card to use. Download the app or apps (often several companies in competition with different coloured e-scooters).
2. The app shows you a map with the location of the nearest scooters. Some companies let you reserve a scooter before you get to it.
3. Unlock the app using your phone. Sometimes there a choice between a single ride subscription, day or week subscription. I think there’s a time limit on rides.
4. There’s an area limit. If you go outside the authorised zone you get a heavy fine on your credit card. All e-scooters are tracked. There should be no problem banning someone whose credit card was used for a bike involved in an accident!
5. When you’ve finished with the scooter, just leave it somewhere safe. Most apps ask you to take a photo of it where you leave it to help the next person find it.
E-scooters are worth a lot of money. The agreements I’ve seen allow you to be charged the full cost of the scooter if you fuck up.
I don’t know how much the ‘British public’ is to blame for the bad reception. For a start, when they did do a limited roll-out, it was not with the best company (from my experience). There seems have been little control over who used them. Their traceability and geo-positioning should have made penalties for improper use swift and severe. They can be used on roads as responsibly as bikes or motor scooters and take up a lot less space. For short trips I’ve even used them with a bag of shopping. They just need to be used with care, common sense and respect for people around you.
When I followed the news on the tiny, hesitant, heavily deprecated opening, it almost seemed to me that someone involved in their deployment wanted them to fail. An opportunity sadly missed I reckon.
