Liverpool latest to get e-scooters
A year-long trial has started today that will see Swedish firm Voi bring 50 electric scooters to Liverpool as part of a drive to boost sustainable transport in the city centre.
The pilot project, a joint initiative between the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool City Council, will stretch across the city centre, extending from the waterfront to the Knowledge Quarter, Georgian Quarter and the Vauxhall area to the north of the city centre.
The scooters will cost £1 to unlock and then 20p a minute to use and can be hired using the Voi Scooters app.
Initially, the vehicles will only be available to users between 6am and 10pm.
The vehicles will travel at a maximum speed of 10mph, but their speed will be electronically restricted to around 5mph in areas with high footfall, according to the council.
Voi operates in 45 cities across 11 countries, predominantly in Germany and Scandinavia, but has recently launched other UK trials in Coventry and Birmingham, among others.
US-based Lime is to launch a similar initiative in Salford, providing e-scooters for university students to use when travelling between campuses, but no start date has yet been given for the trial.
Lime scooters can also be found in London and Milton Keynes.
Only e-scooters which are part of official trials are currently permitted by law. The use of private e-scooters is illegal in the UK.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “I want our area’s transport network to be as cheap, quick and green as possible. E-scooters could offer residents and tourists a quick and convenient way to get around the city centre, as happens in many European cities.”
Cllr Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “We want everyone to be able to travel in and around Liverpool as cleanly as possible – be it by walking or cycling – and we’re investing millions of pounds to help people do just that.”
Fredrik Hjelm, co-founder and chief executive of Voi Technology, said: “We urgently need new transport options, particularly as city residents want to get around with increased social distancing. Today’s transport innovations are all about helping people get out of their cars and make greener choices, while staying safe.”
Fantastic news will be very successful like the City bike already on operation
By Adam
Safety is the major concern here, as conflict with other road/pavement users is inevitable. Also, cheap, quick, green and convenient options already exist; they’re called bicycles. And they provide the added health benefit of being powered by calories.
By PD
Just walk for goodness sake! There is nowhere in either Liverpool or Manchester city centres you can’t easily walk to.
By IMHO
A superlative idea. Not just for locals and students alone, but for visitors who will be able to independently get around and absorb the city and its diversified offerings. From the hustle and bustle of Liverpool one to the quietude of the waterfront. I see a more appreciative attitude in Liverpool than other UK cities, say Manchester, and expect it to be a success and a permanent feature.
By Liverpool romance
One of my favourite sayings to my kids is “god gave us legs, use them”. In my job I drive around quite a lot and I’ve seen lots of scooters everywhere with lazy people on them. They are on pavements and roads being driven very dangerous.
By Darren born bred Salford
Salford university are also getting scooters for the lazy students
By Darren born bred.
20p per minute, so 20 mins use will cost £5 to include the unlock fee. Sounds a bit pricey to me.
LL
By Liver lad
Just in time for winter….. Good idea though!
By Anonymous
I cant wait for the joyous experience. My only criticism being the low maximum speed.
By Liverpool romance
Huge fan of them, but they are bloody awful to use on cobbles!
By Sadsac
Love this! Although nearly £15 an hour is ridiculous!
By snoutsinthetrough
The Liverpool Cycle Hire system needs upgrading really. It is looking dated and still lacking a sponsor (really, how hard can it be for LCC get get one). It is a great travel asset and good sustainable image asset that seems to be overlooked.
I would much rather hit a pothole on a hired bicycle than on a substantially less stable scooter. Perfect public realm for scooters does not exist anywhere.
By Anonymous
Snow plough equipment can be provided at an additional fee of 20p per metre of snow.
By Plough King
It’s cheaper to take a taxi.
By Scrooge
Maybe healthier than walking – at least you won’t be able to scoff a Steak Bake if you use one.
By ChesneyT
Meanwhile Manchester and Leeds get HS2.
Sigh.
By Michael McDonut
I like this idea, but I’m tentative about how long they will last, given that MoBike was only in Manchester for about a year before they took the bikes away because we couldn’t be trusted to look after nice things….
By Fiona
Will be interested to know how many scooters remain in either location once the trial has ended. I’m sure PNW will keep us updated
By sceptic
Is there a department in the council which just introduces things because it’s new technology for the sake of it. What next hover crafts, rocket packs? The vast majority of people in Liverpool will think this is a bad idea. It’s dangerous enough walking on the pavements as it is, with cyclists whizzing by.
There’s been widespread criticism of e-scooters in other cities including London which have already introduced this. Accidents, unsocial behavior, and at least one death.
By Michael Jones
Feel sorry for the pensioners who like a little trot into town. I don’t suppose they matter though as long as we look like a forward thinking, technologically advanced city.
Might work well in a nice city like Oxford but I can already see gangs of lads in their Bubble Coats terrorising pedestrians. Probably put a lot of elderly people and people with small children going into town.
By Michael Jones
Saw 3 of these in a line going down Hanover St in the rain holding up the traffic at lunchtime today, the council really are doing a good job at discouraging motorists in the city, look at the chaos on the Strand and County road, wait till the first fatality.
By MFH
i used the first ones that are trialled in middlesbrough and they are really fun to use, great for short work commutes, if only private ones where legal 🙂 dont listen to the boomers with cars.
By David
Liverpool is a huge draw for international visitors. It’s heritage Waterfront stretches for several miles and it’s another mile up to the cathedrals. People like to meander, but to fit as much in as possible, so this could be a flexible travel option for those that want to explore a bit further. Needs a ‘code of travel’ for safety and perhaps route marking though.
By Liverpool Bay
People have 2 legs, use em. People are getting lazy.
By Darren born bred
It’s about choice
By Anonymous
Anyone going to be sanitising these after uses?
By Covid watcher
I WILL BE USING THESE
By Anonymous
Will no doubt all end up in the Albert Dock what a waste of time
By Michael S
Nice idea but very much the wrong place to be using these. Can see these being treated like the nicked shopping carts you see everywhere.
By Wirralwanderer
Part of me says I should welcome the ‘green and clean’ movement, but the amount of cash being thrown at it, as Local Authorities race to get any scheme in place, makes me wonder how much thought is going into these ideas for the long term? Some may say, well overdue, but look at all of the temporary….and permanent cycle lanes that are not being used, and what the cost of that is to the environment and health. Notwithstanding that Liverpool is quite a hilly city. Good luck to them, but if they want green and clean for the 1 -100 year olds…….then change all of the buses.
By Anonymous
The company also launched two self-driving delivery robots — one for outdoor delivery, the other for indoor services.
By persian grocery