From this week, e-scooters, operated by Swedish company Voi, will be rolled out in West Bromwich town centre on a temporary trial basis.

Residents and visitors will be able to hire a Voi e-scooter to commute to work or move around the town. E-scooters offer a convenient, accessible carbon-neutral mode of transport and they will take pressure off public transport, helping people travel in a socially distanced manner whilst leaving their cars behind. 

The e-scooters can only be used legally in the approved geographical zone which is the immediate vicinity of West Bromwich town centre.  

Initially, there will be 25 Voi scooters available to hire close to West Bromwich town centre with more set to be introduced over time with a maximum of 50 e-scooters available for hire. E-scooters will be available from 6am to 8pm and will cost £1 to unlock the scooter and then 20 pence per minute for usage.

There are a variety of subscriptions available and more information about costs can be found at voiscooters.com.

Introducing e-scooters as safely as possible is an absolute priority for Voi and Sandwell Council and scooter speeds will be capped at 10 miles per hour with geo-fencing to ensure riders stay within the operating area.  

Sandwell Council and Voi will continue to work closely with groups representing vulnerable groups, including the RNIB, London Vision and Thomas Pocklington to ensure their needs are carefully considered during the trial. Councillor Jackie Taylor, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for sustainable transport said:

“We are looking forward to working with Voi and WMCA to bring the first e-scooters to West Bromwich town centre. 

“This will be a temporary trial where residents can hire e-scooters to use around West Bromwich town centre. 

“This is just one of the modes of sustainable transport the council are exploring to help reduce carbon emissions in Sandwell and offer a potential for fast, clean and inexpensive travel that can also help ease the burden on transport networks.

“Safety of our residents is our top priority for e-scooter users and regulations allow for the use of same road spaces as bikes, including cycle lanes. A trial e-scooter can only be used legally on roads (except motorways) and the Metro Parkway route which runs along the tram line between Black Lake and The Hawthorns stops.  

“Customers, using e-scooters, must be aware that riding on the pavements is strictly prohibited and there are offences and penalties for using the e-scooter illegally and you may be fined up to £300, have six points added to your driving licence and banned from using the e-scooters.

“With this in mind, I request users taking part in the trial to be responsible and to take care on the roads and be mindful of other road users and pedestrians. 

“Introducing new forms of transport to Sandwell is one of our top priorities and we hope it will also encourage better health and wellbeing in our residents.”

Voi’s scooters are disinfected every 24 hours, and they are fitted with copper tape that inactivates and minimises the transmission of Covid-19. In addition, Voi provides Covid-19 advice and information via the app and encourages its users to use hand sanitiser and wear gloves.