University’s e-scooter trial scheme extended
Following more than 7,700 km of e-scooter journeys completed during the first three months, the University of Warwick trial scheme has been extended to Cannon Park.
Partners behind the trial, the University of Warwick, WMG at the University of Warwick, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and Coventry City Council, in partnership with Voi Technology, agreed to the extension after seeing early successes and safe running of the trial.
Launched in January, the e-scooter pilot is one of a range of future transport and active mobility solutions that the University of Warwick will trial across its campus, as part of a two-year Choose Your Way Warwick Showcase, funded by TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The Choose Your Way Warwick Showcase is being set up using part of the TfWM award of around £22m in funding from the Department of Transport to create a Future Transport Zone across the West Midlands.
E-scooter company Voi is working with Transport for West Midlands, the University of Warwick and local authorities, including the local police and disability group associations, to deliver the trial.
Parvez Islam, director of transport and mobility for the University of Warwick, said: “This e-scooter pilot is stand-alone from any that have gone before and we’ve carefully reviewed learnings from other regional and UK pilots in our own planning. We will be using the insight from this pilot to help inform our academic study into micromobility behaviours: how using e-scooters can help people get around and contribute to a sustainable future.
“We’ll report back to DfT and share what we learn with regional partners. It’s an exciting initiative and part of our commitment to explore new and better ways of living and working together in partnership with our campus community and TfWM. Ever since we first opened our doors to students in 1965, our campus has been a place where the future lands early and we’re proud to be pointing the way ahead again with this pilot.”
Richard Corbett, regional general manager of UK, Ireland and Benelux for Voi, said: “It is an honour to have our e-scooters in such a prestigious and recognised research and teaching campus, and to be an integral part of this wider micromobility study.
“Voi e-scooters offer the University community a safe, accessible way to move around the campus, supporting Warwick’s vision for a SMART carbon-neutral campus.”
