One of Britain’s leading e-scooter rental scheme operators, Zwings, is working with Staffordshire County Council and Amey to provide a critical travel alternative for essential trips over the lockdown period by expanding e-scooter operations to Chesterton, Porthill, May Bank, Wolstanton and Lymedale Business Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The company says the third lockdown has shown a clear demand for essential e-scooter journeys, with an increase in Zwings’ rental use in the town attributed to the need for a socially-distanced travel alternative and a growing awareness of sustainable choices.
The service is part of the ADEPT Smart Places Live Labs programme SIMULATE.
Zwings says by continuing to meet this growing demand and supporting the local community, it has extended the number of available parking bays to provide residents with more convenient access to the e-scooters. These will supplement and extend the existing trial, which already covers Newcastle town centre, Keele University, Silverdale, Seabridge and Clayton.
Riders can find the exact locations on the Zwings app.
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport David Williams said, “The electric scooter trial in Newcastle has been a great success and we’re pleased to see its expansion to different parts of the town, providing an alternative and safe travel option. The operator Zwings has been working with us and the borough council, along with NHS service providers, to identify appropriate sites for e-scooter parking bays. This is in addition to understanding the needs of communities during this time. We’d like to thank Zwings for extending its offer of unlimited free rides to NHS and emergency services employees until March 1”.
Joe Lewin, Zwings Founder and CEO, added, “Zwings is delighted to announce the expansion of the Newcastle-under-Lyme e-scooter trial service area. Delivered in partnership with Staffordshire County Council and Amey, the e-scooter trials are providing a socially-distanced, sustainable transport option that helps support residents making essential journeys during the current lockdown and beyond. The expansion of the trial zone will now extend access to those benefits to new communities in Chesterton, Porthill, May Bank, Wolstanton, as well as supporting workers commuting to Lymedale Business Park.”
(Picture – Zwings)
