E-scooter trial in Portsmouth, Southampton and Isle of Wight to continue until 2024

An e-scooter trial across Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight will continue until May 2024.

The rental e-scooters have been in Portsmouth and Southampton since March 2021 and on the Isle of Wight since November 2020.

The trial aims to reduce congestion and CO2 emissions, improve air quality, and encourage sustainable travel choices.

It has seen more than 139,000 registered users riding a total of 1.37 million trips.

Rental e-scooters have replaced more than half a million car trips and have saved an equivalent of 282 tonnes of CO2 emissions in Portsmouth and Southampton together.

Councillor Lynne Stagg, Chair of the Solent Transport Joint Committee and Portsmouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation, said: “As we face a global climate emergency, it’s more important than ever that our residents have access to more sustainable ways to travel.

"We are delighted that the e-scooter trials can continue across the three areas, helping protect the natural environment and encouraging people to make the switch from driving and even save money at a time when fuel is so expensive”.

There are more than 800 rental e-scooters available in Portsmouth, 1,400 in Southampton and 118 on the Isle of Wight.

The e-scooter trials are part of the Solent Future Transport Zone, funded by the Department for Transport.