E-scooter trial launches in Birmingham under new operator

Beryl, a transport provider, has been awarded the contract to run the e-scooter scheme in Birmingham

A new e-scooter hiring scheme in Birmingham is officially launching on Wednesday.

They will be available to rent from designated docks or bays alongside the West Midlands Cycle Hire project through an app by operator Beryl.

Users must scan driving licences with selfie verification when they sign up and have random checks to deter misuse.

The previous trial, provided by Swedish company Voi, came to an end in March with Beryl's scooters being phased in.

Up to 200 will be made available to hire in the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods from Wednesday with a further 700 to be rolled out by the end of September.

Changes have been made with the aim of improving safety, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) said.

They include the e-scooters having to be collected and returned at designated areas and the driving licence scanning technology.

The contract with previous provider Voi ended in March

It comes after concerns were raised following several incidents across the region, including the deaths of a 20-year-old man and a young boy in separate collisions.

It was announced in April that transport company Beryl had won the new contract, but the trial of using the electric scooters in the city was paused until after the inquest of the 12-year-old.

The introduction of facial recognition technology was announced after the inquest heard Mustafa Nadeem was riding an e-scooter unlocked by a friend using an under-16s bank account.

Legally, users have to be 18 and have at least a provisional driving licence.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said the scooters have become a fixture of the city's transport network but must be used responsibly.

Having more safety checks in place was important "given previous incidents and lessons to be learnt", he added.

Phil Ellis, Beryl CEO and co-founder, said the e-scooters were easy to use and cost-effective - at £1 to unlock and 20p per minute to use - and provided a sustainable alternative to cars.

"We hope their arrival on the streets of Birmingham will encourage as many people as possible to switch to more sustainable transport," he added.