High-tech e-scooters to be introduced in two Northamptonshire towns as part of 12-month trial

Two Northamptonshire towns will be part of a year long, e-scooter trial in a bid to help reduce congestion and pollution.

Between Northampton and Kettering, 300 high-tech e-scooters will be introduced within the next two weeks, by Swedish company Voi.

The county’s trial is one of the largest in the country and has been approved by Northamptonshire County Council.

It is hoped that the use of e-scooters across the towns will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by encouraging local people to ditch their car as they travel.

Jason Smithers, cabinet member for Highways and Place for Northamptonshire County Council, said: “Northamptonshire is committed to improving access to greener, more sustainable, more affordable transport for the benefit of everyone.

“We chose to partner with Voi because of its collaborative, responsible approach which is going to help us achieve our 2030 Climate-neutral target.

“In the short-term ‘post-lockdown’, we are keen to see how the use of e-scooters can help people get back to work, education and training, especially with capacity restricted on public transport.”

Within the first three months of operation, Voi will assess any additional infrastructure requirements that it sees based on user feedback and user journey data and will also have the capability to increase the number of scooters across the county to 2,000.

To help run the scheme, 50 jobs will also be created and by August 2021 the partnership will aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 400 tonnes across the county.

Richard Corbett, UK general manager of Voi Technology, added: “As normal life resumes across the UK and people return to workplaces and shops, the need for quick, convenient and Covid-safe transport is increasing.

“Cars no longer suit the way we live now. 60 percent of car journeys in the UK are between one to three miles, significantly adding to congestion.

“We estimate that one in five of these journeys across Northamptonshire could be replaced by low-carbon e-scooters with a minimum 24 month lifespan.

“E-scooters provide a compelling alternative that will outrun the car.”

As the trial is launching during the pandemic, Voi is rolling out copper tape on handlebars, designed to kill 99.98 percent of coronavirus on contact, and all scooters will be disinfected every 24 hours.

To get started, users can visit the Voi web page or download the Voi app.

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