Slough Borough Council and Neuron Mobility have announced a new e-scooter trial, starting next month.
The 12-month trial will see 250 purpose-built e-scooters deployed across Slough, aiming to provide residents with a ‘safe, convenient and socially-distanced way to travel’.
Neuron, Australia and New Zealand’s leading e-scooter operator, said it was selected because of its strong track record of partnering with councils and its leadership when it comes to safety and innovation.
The trial will use Neuron’s latest N3 e-scooters, which the firm said have been purpose-built for renting and rider safety and have a range of safety features and innovations.
These include: Geofencing technology to control where e-scooters are ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas; an app-controlled helmet lock that secures a safety helmet to the e-scooters between trips; a topple detection feature that can detect if an e-scooter has been left on its side, which then alerts an operations team to reposition it safely; a 999 emergency button which can tell if someone has had a fall and helps the rider call emergency services; voice guidance to educate and warn riders of how to ride safely; and a ‘Follow my Ride’ feature.
Neuron Mobility CEO Zachary Wang said: ‘Safety is our top priority, it dictates our e-scooter design and also the way we operate them. Our N3 e-scooters are jam-packed with cutting-edge safety features and our safety course and riding guidelines have been co-developed with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the UK’s leading accident prevention charity.'
Rob Anderson, Slough’s cabinet member for transport and environmental services, said: ‘The town’s bus lanes, including the current experimental lanes on the A4, will be able to be used by the rental scooters leading to them being an attractive and sustainable way to travel in the borough.’
Neuron said it will be deploying a dedicated safety team responsible for safety and sanitisation. ‘Armed with hospital-grade disinfectant, they will help to keep e-scooters and their helmets clean and germ-free.’
Riders need to be over 18 and hold a full or provisional driving licence.
Earlier this month, an e-scooter trial in Coventry was paused after reports that some users have been riding the scooters on pavements.
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