City of York Council has agreed to extend the popular E-Scooter trial in York for a further 6 months.
The E-Scooter Trial decision was made at an Executive Member for Transport Decision Session, and means the council will continue to participate in the Department for Transport (DfT) micro-mobility trial with TIER Mobility.
The DfT has approved an extension of the current E-Scooter trials taking place across the country until the 31 March 2022. The extension of the trial includes York, a city which has been part of the trial group since October 2020.
This extension will provide extra time for all trial areas to reach expected capacity of E-Scooters as restrictions continue to ease. In addition, the extended period will allow for the DfT to gather additional data to inform future legislation.
The E-Scooter and E-Bike service, currently provided by TIER mobility supports a ‘green’ restart for local travel across the city and has provided a sustainable and convenient alternative for residents and visitors whilst public transport capacity was restricted. Since the service went live around 10,000 unique riders have made almost 40,000 trips around the city using a TIER E-Scooter or E-Bike, covering over 140,000 miles of York’s roads and cycle paths.
The 6 month extension of the trial is also accompanied by an expansion of the maximum number of E-Scooters now permitted in the city, following the successful take-up of the service. The maximum number has been raised from 700 to 1,000 to ensure growing demand for the service is met, covering more than 45 parking areas across York.
Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Transport said;
Empowering residents and visitors to get around sustainably means providing a broad variety of sustainable, safe and convenient options to get about the city. The extension and expansion of E-Scooter and E-Bike provision in York is offering just that: more options for green travel around the city that so far, thousands of resident and visitors have experienced and enjoyed.
“York is a great location for relatively short trips on foot, by bike or scooter whether you are visiting, studying, working or living here. E-Scooters and E-Bikes are rapidly becoming popular alongside more conventional cycles in a city which has a cycling heritage and existing network of routes. This micro mobility trial is encouraging more people in York to try out sustainable travel options as well as providing important research to government which will help shape transport legislation for years to come.”
