Micromobility operator Neuron celebrates its first-year anniversary in England today with its e-scooter riders racking up more than a million miles travelled.
The milestone comes as all three councils in Slough, Newcastle and Sunderland, where Neuron operates, confirm that they will extend their e-scooter trials until November 2022.
A recent Neuron survey found that 35 per cent of e-scooter trips have directly replaced a car, saving an estimated 85 tonnes of CO2 in emissions.
Another finding revealed 88 per cent of respondents believed Neuron’s e-scooters have had a positive impact in their city.
Furthermore, 55 per cent of riders had bought something from a local business as part of their most recent journey, highlighting the positive impact e-scooters can have on local economies.
To ensure its users safety over the last year, Neuron has held thousands of safety briefings at ScootSafe events.
This involved Neuron’s safety ambassadors engaging directly with residents to brief them on all areas of e-scooter safety, and included the first Helmet Safety Awareness Week last October.
The company’s N3 scooter is now “packed” with safety features too, said Neuron.
These include a 999 emergency button, an in-app reaction test to quell drink riding, and an app-controlled locked helmet beneath the handlebars.
A further discovery from the survey showed that 30% of Neuron’s riders are women, which according to the firm is above the standard industry figures of around 20%.
Feedback from female riders indicated that they liked the wide footboard for stability and the ‘Follow my Ride’ feature that allows friends to track their journeys.
“We have learned a great deal during our first year operating in the UK and have been really encouraged with the level of uptake and support for our e-scooters from the community,” said George Symes, UK Regional Manager at Neuron Mobility.
Ged Bell, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Newcastle Council, added: “We’ve seen many people benefiting from safe and responsible use of the e-scooters, with around half a million miles travelled by e-scooter in the city. We will continue to monitor the impact of the trial, which is providing valuable information that could help inform future schemes of this nature.”
