Southampton e-scooters: Riders clock up 500,000 rides in trial

More than 500,000 rides were taken on Southampton's e-scooter trial in 2023, its operator has revealed.

Voi said the hire scheme had replaced more than 200,000 car journeys in the city in the past 12 months.

The trial, begun in 2021, is funded by the Department for Transport and is due to run until May 2024.

Jack Samler, Voi regional general manager, said the vehicles were providing "safe, sustainable travel options".

"Our convenient and affordable e-scooters are helping to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution in towns and cities by replacing short car trips and are helping people to be more active day to day," he added.

There are currently 1,500 e-scooters available from more than 200 parking hubs throughout Southampton.

Southampton cabinet member for transport Eamonn Keogh said reaching 500,000 rides was a "huge milestone" for the city.

"Our micro mobility offering across the city helps us to reduce carbon emissions and work towards becoming a cleaner, greener city."

E-scooters can only legally be rode in public roads as part of an official trial scheme.

Trials began on the Isle of Wight in November 2020 and in Portsmouth and Southampton in March 2021.

In October last year, Solent Transport reported there had been a total of 1.37 millon rides in all three locations.

The scheme in Southampton has sparked mixed reactions - a 2022 survey found 56% of respondents thought they were not a safe form of transport, while others pointed to the environmental benefits.

This year Voi started operations in London, Cheltenham, and Gloucester.

It also operates in 10 other towns and cities including Cambridge, Oxford, Portsmouth, Northampton, Kettering, and Liverpool.

In total, users rode 15m miles (24m km) in 2023.

A ban on rental e-scooters came into force in Paris in September in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed in the French capital.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].