E-scooters expected to be made available again in the West Midlands from July
E-scooters are expected to be made available again in the West Midlands from late July, Mayor Andy Street has indicated.
The West Midlands Mayor was asked when scooters-for-hire would return at a neighbourhood forum meeting in Moseley on Tuesday.
The Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) contract with Swedish scooter brand Voi came to an end in March and the public body chose to pause procurement for the new contract amid safety concerns.
In April it was announced that British company Beryl had won the new contract which would be integrated with the West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme, allowing users to access both services via the same app.
An inquest into the death of 12-year-old Mustafa Nadeem, who was killed while riding a Voi e-scooter which crashed into a bus last December, was due to take place on Thursday. Mr Street said no announcement would be made on dates until after the findings of that inquest have been heard.
Mr Street said: “There was very unfortunately a boy killed on an e-scooter in Bordesley Green last year who was 12 years old.
“So, an inquest into his death is this week. It’s very important that we hear the evidence that comes out there.”
Mr Street said, subject to improved safety arrangements with the new operators, the scooters are due to return in mid to late July.
“We haven’t actually announced the date yet because we do need to hear the inquest first,” he said.
