Micromobility provider Beryl is expanding its Norwich e-scooter scheme, with the overall fleet expanding to 250 scooters.
To celebrate the expansion of the e-scooter scheme, Beryl is giving all new and existing bike and e-bike users in Norwich the first 10 minutes of their very first scooter ride free until, 20 September 2021.
Beryl CEO, Philip Ellis, said: “The introduction of these additional e-scooters will have a positive impact on the local environment, bring a bit more fun into people’s daily routines and encourage people to think about smarter ways to travel.
‘’Our ambition is to encourage more people to change their habits and replace car journeys with greener modes of transport.”
The micromobility operator initially launched its Norwich rental e-scooter trial in August last year, with e-scooters joining its fleet of 465 pedal bikes and 115 e-bikes introduced to the city in March 2020.
Norwich is the first city in the UK to have access to a three-tiered vehicle scheme. Since Berly’s launch in the city, more than 190,000 journeys by over 26,000 users have been made using Beryl emission-free vehicles.
Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “This government backed trial is designed to help provide the crucial evidence needed when ministers are considering the future legal basis of e-scooters.
“It’s continuation and expansion will be carefully monitored and help provide information on the benefits of this new mode of transport, and also insight into ways to tackle issues raised both locally and nationally as a result of the increased use of e-scooters.
“Results so far have proven interesting as in Norwich 17% of users surveyed saying they’d switched their journey from private car to e-scooter, so we are keen to see if this potential congestion cutting move will continue as we emerge from the pandemic restrictions we’ve seen over the past year.”
