Scooters are set to return to the streets of Sunderland on Thursday January 5 as a new operator takes over the Government's e-scooter trial in the city.
Sunderland City Council waved goodbye to the orange scooters operated by Neuron at the end of November after the operator decided not to renew its contract. That was taken over by Zwings, but the launch has been delayed until tomorrow (Thursday, January 5) due to wintry weather conditions.
Initially, 100 e-scooters will be deployed in more than 100 parking bays across the city with the number of vehicles expected to increase further during 2023. The new scooters will have directional indicators, a wireless phone holder for navigation and pneumatic tyres.
Read more: Can you ride e-scooters on bike paths and cycle lanes in Newcastle and Sunderland?
Currently, the only way you can legally ride an electric scooter in the UK is by hiring one through the Department for Transport trials in cities across the country, which is what the Zwings' launch is part of, along with Newcastle's Neuron scooters - which will remain in the city until at least May 2024. Users must use an app to unlock the scooters, which cost 60p to unlock then 23p per minute - while there are also subscription packages for regular users.
Councillor Claire Rowntree, Sunderland City Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for Clean Green City, said: "Newer, greener and low-carbon transport is important for all of us. I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Zwings so that residents and visitors can continue to safely enjoy the benefits of this low carbon travel scheme.
Stephen Bee, Zwings Chief Operating Officer believes that the scooters provide Sunderland with a safe, convenient and sustainable form of transport. He said: "We are looking forward to growing usage of e-scooters in Sunderland, by improving the availability and reliability of the service.
"Improvements to the service can encourage more people to switch away from car usage to e-scooters and other lower carbon transport modes. We are working with Sunderland City Council and Northumbria Police to ensure that misbehaviour on the e-scooters is minimised."
Are you happy to see the e-scooter trial extended in Sunderland? Let us know!
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