Shared e-scooter operator Wind Mobility has reached the 500,000 ride milestone in the UK, having launched in October of last year.
Wind currently has 600 of its rental scooters deployed in Nottingham, where it has seen a “significant increase” in the number of rides taken as a result of the warm weather and easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
The operator claims to be running “one of the most popular trials in the UK”, with measures such as penalties for wrongly parked scooters introduced to cut down on clutter.
It has also expanded the number of no-go and slow speed zones, in addition to producing a number of educational videos to help better inform riders of how to behave responsibly during their journeys.
“Half a million rides in less than eight months since the start of the trial shows the high popularity of our e-scooters among residents of Nottingham,” said Lukasz Rybak, city operations manager for Wind in Nottingham.
“With up to 10 rides per scooter per day, Nottingham’s e-scooter trial is one of the most popular trials in the UK.
“We see a high number of rides during the morning and early evening hours indicating that many residents of Nottingham use our e-scooters for their daily commute.
“On average, each scooter is used for an average distance of 1.5 miles. We expect to hit one million rides well before the end of the year.
“One of the major factors contributing to the popularity of the e-scooter scheme is the low price as Wind is offering an affordable service at 12p per minute and a long-term subscription model for key workers at only £30 per month.”
Nottingham is one of just two UK towns or cities in which Wind has its scooters deployed (it also runs a subscription only service in Derby), although it operates in 35 cities and seven countries around the world.
Its largest market in Europe is Italy, where it has a presence in nine cities, and globally Israel where it is the market leader in Tel Aviv.
Portfolio Holder for Transport Cllr Rosemary Healy described the popularity of the trial in Nottingham as “very encouraging”.
“Nottingham’s scheme is one of around 40 Government-backed trials taking place across the country, looking at whether e-scooters could provide a clean, convenient and affordable way to get around, replacing shorter car journeys and helping to lower carbon emissions and improve air quality,” she added.
“We’re pleased that people have really engaged with the trial and the popularity has been very encouraging. However, as with any form of transport, we are reliant on users behaving responsibly, and we will continue to work with Wind and Nottinghamshire Police on further measures to enforce the rules and to deter irresponsible and illegal riding.”
The UK e-scooter trials launched in July 2020, with their end date recently extended until March 2022.
Shared e-scooter schemes are legal across much of Europe.
