The e-scooter trial ran by the West of England Combined Authority in Bristol and Bath will be extended to include more areas of both cities.
The trial, which launched in October with operator Voi, will now allow riders to travel in Bishopston, St Werburghs, Easton and Bedminster in Bristol, and Oldfield Park and Bathwick in Bath.
Initially, Voi introduced 100 rental e-scooters in central Bristol and 50 scooters in central Bath. To service the expanded areas it will increase the numbers of e-scooter gradually to 450 in Bristol and 100 in Bath.
The trial forms part of the West of England’s £28m plan for a Future Transport Zone in the region. The authority said the zone will improve access to public transport for local communities through new transport technologies.
Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, said: “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.”
In addition to the route extension, Voi also announced that its key worker discount programme, Voi-4-Heroes, is to be reintroduced during the latest lockdown period. The scheme gives free rides to NHS workers, emergency service personnel and the armed forces.
According to Voi, there are plans to further extend the trial scheme’s operating area to South Gloucestershire and to introduce a personal lease scheme to enable residents to hire a scooter for a longer period of time and keep it at their home or place of work.
