Shared micromobility operator TIER has partnered with inclusive cycling social enterprise Bikeworks to provide e-scooter training sessions specifically for women.
Designed to build confidence in using rental e-scooters, the women-targeted training sessions will be taught by Bikeworks’ female instructors and will take place in locations across London from May 14 2022.
Female Transport for London (TfL) employees will also contribute to the training days, sharing possible barriers that women face when travelling in the city.
TIER and Bikeworks ran training programmes together last summer, and through a workshop and engaging with instructors, they found a notable majority of women participants would have preferred training in smaller groups with other women and female instructors, before heading out on to the road once they felt more comfortable.
So these sessions will be undertaken in small groups and are suitable for all abilities, said the operator. They will first focus on developing skills in an off-road setting before progressing to a trainer-led ride on quiet roads.
The sessions will also look at how the entire transport system can be made more accessible and inclusive based on women’s experiences.
The idea for the training programme came from TIER and Safe & the City’s recent research collaboration, which found that 71% of women in the UK agreed training would improve how safe they feel when travelling.
“E-scooters are a convenient and sustainable way of travelling around the city and we want to ensure that there are no barriers to their use,” said Georgia Yexley, General Manager for TIER, UK & Ireland.
Jillian Kowalchuk, Founder and CEO of Safe & the City added: “Offering a dedicated training programme for women to learn, connect with other riders, and practice while engaging them in the solution to improve the wider transport system is a crucial step in reducing barriers and building innovative safety solutions.”
Additionally, TIER will deliver 30 e-scooter training sessions with Bikeworks for all members of the public. Riders are invited to book onto a training session on Bikeworks website.
The announcement follows TIER’s partnership with Flare last month to develop several new safety features for riders, including an ‘SOS’ safety button.
