Shared operators Lime, Dott and Voi have been awarded contracts to run the next phase of London’s rental e-scooter trial.
Following the launch of Transport for London’s (TfL) competitive procurement process last year, Dott and Lime have had their contracts renewed while Tier has been replaced by Stockholm-based firm Voi.
This next phase will build on learnings from the current trial, as well as providing operators with opportunities to test new onboard technologies, including pavement riding and tandem riding detection, and acoustic vehicle alerts. TfL also expects the number of parking locations to expand across the trial.
Last year, TfL and London Councils announced they were extending the capital’s trial of rental e-scooters in response to Department for Transport (DfT) guidance that allows local authority trials to continue until 31 May 2024.
Jack Samler, General Manager for Voi UK, France and Ireland, told Zag Daily: “We are very excited to have been selected to operate our e-scooters in London. As the operator with the largest fleet of e-scooters across the UK, and with services in 11 countries across Europe, we’re looking forward to continuing our growth by launching in the capital.
“Transport is the biggest source of CO2 emissions in the UK – but our e-scooters are net zero, so they’re not only safe, easy-to-use and affordable, they’re helping combat climate change too.”
Henri Moissinac, Dott’s Co-Founder and CEO, told Zag: “London’s e-scooter service has led the way in showing how shared e-scooters can be integrated into a city carefully, using parking bays, vehicle license plates, slow zones, and ID checks to ensure they are used responsibly.
“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Transport for London, to further improve the service, making it easier for more people to choose efficient, environmentally friendly travel to get around London.”
Last month, TfL released data showing that the trial has expanded significantly since its launch in June 2021, with ten participating boroughs, more than 600 designated parking locations, and over 5,000 e-scooters now available to hire.
So far, over 2.5 million journeys have been made, covering more than 6.46 million kilometers.
Manish Kharel, General Manager for Lime in London, commented: “We are seeing record demand for our London services. Our priority now is meeting this demand, while ensuring the long term safe and tidy parking of our vehicles.”
Matthew Clark, Steer and CoMoUK Chair, added: “It’s great to have confirmation of the operators who will be providing shared e-scooters in London. It is vital that this revitalised trial is supported by London Boroughs working to improve the density of parking bays. Nationally, central government must break the current impasse and without delay regulate both shared and private e-scooters in the UK.”
The new contracts will begin towards the end of September when the existing contracts finish. They can run beyond the DfT national trial term, which is currently due to end on 31 May 2024, in the event that trials are extended further.
