E-scooters trial launches in West Bromwich town centre
A trial run of hireable electric scooters has begun in West Bromwich today.
People can ride the e-scooters around the vicinity of the town centre.
The e-scooters, operated by Swedish company Voi, will cost £1 to unlock and a further 20 pence for each minute of usage. It means that including the unlocking charge, an hour's worth of riding will cost £13.
The scooters are capped at 10 miles per hour and are geo-fenced, meaning they will not work outside the operating area.
Initially, 25 e-scooters will be available to hire but more are set to be introduced over time, rising to a maximum 50 scooters.
These will be available to hire from the town centre between 6am and 8pm.
The trial follows an earlier unveiling by Voi of the e-scooters in Birmingham and Coventry.
The scooters will be disinfected every 24 hours and fitted with copper tape to minimise the transmission of Covid-19
Voi, which runs an app with scooters, has encouraged users to wear gloves and use hand sanitiser as additional safety precautions.
Councillor Jackie Taylor, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for sustainable transport said: "We are looking forward to working with Voi and WMCA [West Midlands Combined Authority] to bring the first e-scooters to West Bromwich town centre.
Safety
"This will be a temporary trial where residents can hire e-scooters to use around West Bromwich town centre.
"This is just one of the modes of sustainable transport the council are exploring to help reduce carbon emissions in Sandwell and offer a potential for fast, clean and inexpensive travel that can also help ease the burden on transport networks.
"Safety of our residents is our top priority for e-scooter users and regulations allow for the use of same road spaces as bikes, including cycle lanes.
"A trial e-scooter can only be used legally on roads [except motorways] and the Metro Parkway route which runs along the tram line between Black Lake and The Hawthorns stops.
"Customers, using e-scooters, must be aware that riding on the pavements is strictly prohibited and there are offences and penalties for using the e-scooter illegally and you may be fined up to £300, have six points added to your driving licence and banned from using the e-scooters.
"With this in mind, I request users taking part in the trial to be responsible and to take care on the roads and be mindful of other road users and pedestrians.
“Introducing new forms of transport to Sandwell is one of our top priorities and we hope it will also encourage better health and wellbeing in our residents."
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: "This launch follows hot on the heels of the extension of the e-scooter trial zone in Birmingham last week and will give even more people the opportunity to give them a go after they have proved to be so popular.
"E-scooters will offer more choice and a more environmentally friendly way for people to make those shorter journeys around West Bromwich town centre, and Transport for West Midlands is working with Voi and our local authorities to bring e-scooters to even more parts of the West Midlands over the coming weeks."
Richard Corbett, regional general manager of UK, Ireland and Benelux for Voi, said: "We are excited to launch our shared e-scooter trial to West Bromwich and offer its residents a safe and flexible alternative to car journeys, reducing congestion and pollution.
"The trial offers West Bromwich residents and visitors a unique opportunity to commute, shop or move around their local area using a convenient, accessible and environmentally-efficient way to travel. E-scooters empower individuals to contribute to the transformation of their cities, turning them into safer and better places to live."
People can also subscribe to use the e-scooters, with more information available at voiscooters.com/voi-pass
