New deal sees hundreds more e-scooters in Liverpool

Bolt will take over the contract from existing provider Voi in February

Liverpool has awarded micromobility firm Bolt a contract to provide rental e-scooters and bikes after its deal with existing provider Voi comes to an end.

The new service will see 2,000 scooters and 100 e-bikes deployed, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from February next year.

It will cover the entire city, with areas such as Speke and Garston set to have scooters for the first time.

Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy at Liverpool City Council, told the BBC the new deal with Bolt is "a much better offer than we've got at the moment from Voi".

Voi had been operating rental scooters in the city since October 2020 as part of a Department for Transport pilot to provide low-carbon alternatives to public transport.

Private scooters are still illegal to ride on public roads, but the pilot scheme allowed users to unlock approved pink Voi scooters using a smartphone app, and leave them in designated areas.

Voi e-scooters had become familiar on the streets of Liverpool

However Bolt had offered to provide around 500 more scooters and 100 e-bikes, and offer a 24/7 service rather than the current arrangement of between 06:00 GMT and 00:00.

Mr Small said: "I think the e-scooter trial has been a massive success in Liverpool and it's opened up new transport options for people.

"It's reduced car dependency, it's reduced the number of times that people are spending on car journeys and that's good for everyone, it's good for the planet but it's also opening up opportunities for people to get to work and with different modes of transport and to change their lifestyles."

He said he understood some people were not convinced by the pilot scheme, with concerns over scooters being parked inappropriately or ridden unsafely.

'Better urban transport'

However he said Bolt e-scooters and e-bikes would be "well-regulated", with users needing to be over 18 and to provide driving licences before use.

A maximum speed limit of 15.5 mph would be set for both scooters and e-bikes and cognitive reaction tests will be in force on the app to prevent drunk riding.

The service will also use A.I powered facial recognition and geofencing technology to prevent bad parking.

Liverpool Council said research from Bolt showed almost half of its e-bike and scooter trips around the world are to and from bus and train stations, which it said showed how Liverpool's service could reduce reliance on private cars.

John Buckley, Bolt's head of micromobility for the UK, said: "With over 230,000 scooters and e-bikes operating in more than 270 cities across Europe, we've seen how micromobility can encourage environmentally friendlier travel, reduce car traffic, and connect people to public transport.

"Launching micromobility in Liverpool, and our first ever scooter service in the UK, is a key step in Bolt's commitment to building better urban transport."