Bournemouth and Poole e-scooter rental trial given green light

Rental e-scooters are coming to Bournemouth and Poole.

The Department for Transport has given the go-ahead for a trial to begin next month.

There will be a fleet of 25 which can be picked up and dropped off at 250 marked parking bays.

The scheme will be operated by cycle hire company Beryl Bikes.

Councillor Mike Greene from BCP Council said: "Our conurbation is one of the most congested in the country and we need to offer convenient and attractive alternatives to the car for shorter journeys in particular.

"We have been delighted with the uptake of our bike share scheme with 250,000 journeys undertaken, covering 1.1 million km since launch last year.

"We are certain that e-scooters will also prove popular and by working with Beryl we can be assured of a safe, compliant and well-managed solution."

People wanting to hire an e-scooter, must have a valid driving licence, which will first need to be verified via the Beryl app.

The hire agreement will also provide the user with vehicle insurance.

The Beryl hire e-scooters can be ridden on all existing public roads in Bournemouth and Poole as well as on the expanding network of signed cycle lanes and cycle/shared-use facilities.

They cannot be used on pedestrian pavements and privately-owned e-scooters are still illegal for use on public roads.

The initial operating zone of the trial will be within Poole and Bournemouth.

An expansion into Christchurch will be considered at a later date.

The e-scooters are limited to a top speed of 12.5 mph and are equipped with a speedometer and bell.

An on-board GPS system will ensure their locations are constantly tracked, while Beryl’s team of mechanics will maintain, charge and redistribute them.