The streets of Slough will be brightened up by dayglo orange scooters next month, thanks to micromobility operator Neuron.
The company expects to get started in mid-October with 250 of its latest-gen N3 model electric scooters, under a 12-month trial programme. Riders will need to be 18 and over; fees are set at £1 to unlock and 18p/min to ride.
Neuron’s e-scooters come with several nifty features, including a function to help riders call the emergency services in the event of an accident; sending an alert to the logistics team when a scooter has fallen over to prevent pavement clutter; and a tracking feature that allows friends and family to locate a rider in real-time.
Geofencing will be used to create slow zones, no parking zones and red zones (no access areas). The scooters will also be fitted with number plates. They’ll also be able to use bus lanes.
Rob Anderson, cabinet member for transport at Slough Borough Council, said in a statement: “This is an exciting first for Slough. We are leading the way in the use of alternative electric vehicles and the potential benefits of their use in the future. The town’s bus lanes, including the current experimental lanes on the A4, will be able to be used by the rental scooters, leading to them being an attractive and sustainable way to travel in the borough.”
It’s the first UK trial win for the Singaporean company, which currently operates in eight locations across Australia and New Zealand. Neuron boss Zachary Wang said in today’s press release that there are more GB locations to come for the breakdown service-coloured fleet: “This is an important milestone in Neuron’s expansion into the UK but it’s only the beginning. Neuron’s industry-leading e-scooters will soon be helping people travel safely in other towns and cities across the country.”
Our take
Neuron has some very interesting ideas and its recently-announced partnership with RoSPA is commendable. We’re also looking forward to being able to roll out many Gervais and Merchant references over the next 12 months. And launching with 250 scooters will be impressive if it happens. Most other operators have started much smaller.
We’re less impressed with the addition of number plates and hope the council is taking its duties towards educating riders seriously and not deferring all of the responsibility (and blame) to the operator. RR
