Lime electric scooters will be settling into Salford soon.
A 12-month trial was approved today. Under the first stage of a three-phase introduction, e-scooters will first be available to connect the University of Salford campuses at Peel Park and Frederick Road. While based at the university campuses, the e-scooters will be available to all members of the public. The scooters will be virtually docked using geofenced areas.
The scheme will later link up with the MediaCityUK development, before finally embracing Salford city centre and Ordsall. The first scooters are expected to be available in October, with the balance of programme live by the end of the year.
Fees are set at £1 to unlock at 15p/min to rid (5p/min cheaper than Lime’s operation in Milton Keynes).
Nicola Kane, head of innovation at Transport for Greater Manchester, said in a statement: “E-scooters have been hugely successful in many other countries around the world. We know people want to use them to get about and they can be a stepping-stone to encouraging them to use cars less for local journeys – reducing congestion, improving connectivity with public transport hubs and making our air cleaner. We’ve worked in close partnership with Salford City Council on this project. We have also engaged widely with stakeholders such as Greater Manchester Police, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and local council members, putting us in a strong position for launch and ensuring that the schemes are accessible.”
Salford council’s Mike McCusker said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Salford to trial sustainable, green transport…We’re delighted to pioneer the use of e-scooters.”
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Updated on 29 September 2020 to include information about timing of phases.
