Green light for e-scooter trial in York

City of York Council has announced a year-long e-scooter trial and selected TIER to run the game-changing technology on its streets.

The council has said that the first e-scooters will be deployed at the University of York in a few weeks, offering residents a new, green and coronavirus-safe mode of transport for getting around the city. Discussions are taking place as to whether York Hospital will also be able to host the scheme.

The scheme, which will initially see up to 100 e-scooters deployed, has been approved by the Department for Transport. Renting an e-scooter in York will cost riders £1 to unlock the vehicle and 15p per minute travelled.

Andy D’Agorne, executive member for Transport at City of York Council, said: “This will provide a fantastic opportunity to explore how e-scooters might add to the mix of sustainable transport options, whilst helping to improve air quality and expand our electrical vehicle charging offer. The trial will also form part of the city’s Covid-19 response in terms of, for example, providing sustainable alternatives to support capacity on public transport across the city.

“We’re excited to approve the trial in York and to be working alongside TIER. Together we will ensure there are clear and effective channels of communication which are critically important to get early warning of any issues that need to be addressed, to assess the impact and to learn all the lessons from the trial.”

TIER, founded in 2018 and already in 70 cities across Europe, was the first e-scooter operator in the world to become climate-neutral and is rolling out swappable batteries across its fleet, removing the need to collect and transport the vehicles to a warehouse for charging.