Bath and North East Somerset Council has expanded the operating area in which e-scooters can be used.
This follows the successful launch of the West of England Combined Authority’s e-scooter trial in October.
The expansion will allow people to reach new destinations by e-scooter including Bishopston, St Werburghs, Easton and Bedminster in Bristol and Oldfield Park and Bathwick in Bath.
It comes as e-scooter operator Voi announced that the Voi-4-Heroes programme is to be reintroduced during the new lockdown period. The scheme gives free rides to NHS workers, emergency service personnel and the armed forces offering an alternative way to access essential work.
The 12-month trial, operated by leading e-scooter operator Voi, introduced 100 rental e-scooters in central Bristol and 50 scooters in central Bath. Since launch there have been over 62,000 rides taken and over 158,000km travelled.
In Bristol there have been over 50,000 rides taken by over 14,000 unique riders with over 127,000km travelled.
In Bath there have been over 12,500 rides and 4,800 unique riders with over 31,000 km travelled.
To service the new expanded areas the numbers of scooters will gradually increase to 450 in Bristol and 100 in Bath.
Mayor of the West of England Tim Bowles said: “The West of England has really embraced our e-scooter trial and I’m pleased that so many people have taken the chance to try this new, low carbon form of transport that’s helping to keep our region moving.
“We’ve taken an incremental approach to the launch so that we can all get used to the scooters on our roads, and now following this early success we can expand our operating area so that more residents in Bristol and Bath can benefit from another alternative to the car for short journeys to access essential work and services.”
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said:“E-scooters are a great way to travel and I’m delighted to see so many people trying out a new form of sustainable transport in the region. It’s essential we provide people with as many low-emission alternatives to the car as possible to help deliver clean air and climate resilience. This trial is providing another low-emission option alongside our improvements to bus, walking and cycling journeys across the city and plans for a mass transit public transport system.”
Councillor Dine Romero, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “The e-scooters have been well-received in Bath so far and are proving to be a convenient way for people to make short, sustainable journeys. It’s great news that the scheme is now rolling out into Bathwick and into Oldfield Park, which is a key first step in linking up with the rail station and residential areas bordering the city centre.”