Following the Department for Transport approval at the start of the month for e-scooter trials to take place in the UK, a new British company Ginger, has become the first ever to get such a scheme up and running, in Teeside, northeast England.
The trial, in partnership with the Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, went live on Monday (13 July), in what is hoped is an initiative that will both take pressure off public transit and discourage people from using their cars as the coronavirus pandemic puts new strains on transport systems.
One hundred e-scooters are involved in the trial initially and it is promised that they will be located across every local authority in the area.
To combat the problem of ‘scooter litter’ which has plagued similar schemes around the world in their early stages each parking location will be strictly geo-fenced so users must leave their e-scooters in these locations at the end of the ride
Ginger e-Scooters are free to unlock and cost £2 (US$2.50) per 20 mins. As the trial progresses Ginger will look at introducing on-street charging and docking locations.
“Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool are leading the UK in new, clean and innovate technologies,” says Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen (who also posted the video, above). “E-scooters are a part of that. I have been a big fan of e-scooters for a very long time, and when the Government announced their plans to fast track their introduction, it was obvious that our region should be the first trial area. So, I am thrilled that the UK’s first trial on e-scooters on UK roads will take place across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”
