West Midlands e-scooter trial to end as new contract yet to be secured
The current contract with operator Voi ends on February 28.
Last updated 24th Feb 2023
People in Birmingham will no longer be able to hire an e-scooter from next Wednesday, 1 March.
It comes as the current contract with operator Voi finishes on Tuesday night, with transport bosses confirming they have yet to secure a new deal.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) launched an open tender for the new contract last summer. The procurement process is yet to conclude following bids from a number of interested providers, it said.
It means there will be a break in the provision of the public rental e-scooter scheme in the region.
As part of the contract process, bosses at TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and Birmingham City Council said they've taken the opportunity to look at "fresh approaches, learn from current experience and continue to carefully consider the safety of the travelling public."
They added: "We know this will be hugely inconvenient for the many existing e-scooter rental customers."
As an alternative for the time being, people are being encouraged to use the West Midlands Cycle Hire, which includes e-bikes and is available across much of Birmingham and the wider region.
E-scooter trials were launched by the Department for Transport in 2020 under which only rental e-scooters are allowed on the streets to test the technology and asses different approaches ahead of permanent legislation being introduced. The trials are taking place across UK towns and cities.
In Birmingham, there were an average 30,000 rides a week taken, using a fleet of approximately 2,000 e-scooters.