Newcastle's orange scooters to stay until 2026
Newcastle’s orange e-scooters are set to remain until 2026, after city bosses backed another extension to the trial.
Newcastle City Council has signed off on prolonging the Neuron scooters’ stay until May 2026 – more than five years after they arrived.
Neuron said that the two-wheeled electric vehicles, which can travel up to 15mph, have racked up almost 1.5 million miles around Tyneside since they were launched in February 2021 and that 40% of trips had replaced a car journey.
However, a council report confirms that civic centre bosses have requested a series of changes to the scheme – including a review into its designated scooter parking areas, the creation of an alert system for vehicles left outside of those zones, and penalties for “inconsiderate” parking.
The council has also told Neuron to remove scooters from around St James’ Park before and after Newcastle United matches and install new technology that can detect breaches of the trial’s rules, such as riding on pavements rather than on the road.
Worries have previously been raised about the scooters “zig-zagging” down roads, people riding two to a scooter or on pavements, and under-age youngsters being spotted on them.
Neuron’s trial was originally meant to last 12 months but has been extended several times, with the scooters’ ride area also expanded to cover areas including Heaton and Ouseburn, while the Department for Transport has now extended the national period for local councils to host such trials to until May 31, 2026.
The city council confirmed that it had initially only given Neuron an additional three months from its previous end date in May this year, so that the company could “demonstrate further control measures” following “operational concerns” aired by councillors.
Neuron pulled out of a similar pilot in Sunderland in 2022, as did its successor Zwings the following year.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have agreed to extend the city’s e-scooter trial, which is operated by Neuron, until May 2026, in line with the Department for Transport trial period. Since the launch of the trial, many people have benefited from using the orange e-scooters, making journeys for both work and leisure.
“We are continually working with Neuron to look at ways in which the trial can be improved to ensure it meets the needs of our residents and this will include a further review of parking arrangements as the trial moves forward. This is one of a number of similar trials taking place across the country on behalf of the government, which will use the information and evidence from the trials to inform a decision on the suitability of e-scooters to be used as a legalised form of transport.”
Neuron claimed the Newcastle e-scooter trial was worth up to £8.9 million annually to the city’s economy and saved around 150 tonnes of CO2 emissions to date.
Richard Hannah, the firm’s head of global operations, said: “After a successful three and a half years in Newcastle, our e-scooters have become an integral part of the city’s transport mix. We are delighted to continue the service in the city and we thank our loyal riders as well as the Council for their continued trust and support.”