A trial of e-scooters across the West of England has been extended into 2022, one year after the scheme began.
Swedish technology firm Voi said that almost two and half million rides had been taken in Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire during the trial’s first 12 months.
The initiative is aiming to reduce pressure on public transport and encourage residents in central areas to swap their cars for a more environmentally friendly mode of transport.
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has approved continuing the trial until March 2022.
Voi said the scooters had helped save 900,000 short car journeys across the area and saved an estimated 480 tonnes of CO2.
The operator added that 75% of its riders had told it they regularly use the scooters to commute or visit family, while 4 in 10 said they use e-scooters instead of a car.
More than 400 people in the West of England have so far signed up to a long-term rental scheme, which allows users access to a personal e-scooter for £35 per month.
In July Voi launched a marketing campaign to encourage the safe use of its e-scooters, following concerns over the way they are ridden and parked on public roads and pavements.
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BusinessLive's sister website BristolLive reported in April that Avon and Somerset Police had logged since the scheme's launch last October to March 2021.
Around 50 of these cases were related to anti-social behaviour of which six were categorised as “pavement riding” and 13 as “poor riding”.
Voi said it had seen a 70% improvement in good parking behaviour from riders after it introduced a feature on its app that prompts users to take an ‘end of the ride photo’ of parked scooters which is then reviewed by the company’s support team.
As well as staging events where it handed out free helmets to riders, Voi also installed sound on some of its scooters in Bristol, to offer more protection to pedestrians with sight loss.
Jack Samler, general manager at Voi 海角视频 and Ireland, said its operations in the West of England had been “one of Europe's largest and most successful” e-scooter trials, showing there was “incredible demand” in the region for sustainable transport options.
Mr Samler said: “We are delighted to have been given more time to build on our success so far. We will continue to listen to users, the local community, and key stakeholders - such as disability and visually-impaired groups - to ensure micromobility can work for everyone. This trial extension will be invaluable, and can only help to strengthen an already truly collaborative partnership.
“We look forward to continuing our mission in Bath, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire to transform our cities for the better.”
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Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees added: “E-scooters are a great way to travel around the city and they are proving popular in Bristol and our wider region.
“It is particularly important that we are providing another low-emission alternative to short car journeys, alongside our ongoing improvements to bus, walking and cycling journeys across the city and plans for a mass transit system.”
South Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, environment and strategic infrastructure Cllr Steve Reade said he was “pleased” with the trial’s extension.
Mr Reade said: “It can take time to adapt to innovative technologies and new initiatives and we are keen to work with WECA and Voi to ensure the trial is a success and e-scooters, which are contributing positively to our climate change ambitions, are given that chance to become a credible alternative to car travel in the region.”
Voi operates in over 70 cities across 11 countries and has facilitated more than 70 million rides for more than six million users to date. In the 海角视频, in addition to Bristol and Bath, it operates scooters in Birmingham, Cambridge, Liverpool, Northampton, Oxford, Portsmouth and Southampton.
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