Voi electric scooters coming to more streets across Bath

More communities in Bath are set to get access to electric scooters.

Provider Voi is quadrupling the operating area for its e-scooter scheme to eight square miles.

The first phase of the expansion has already seen Voi’s area increase earlier this month to six square miles which includes areas such as East Twerton, Oldfield Park, Bear Flat, Bathampton and Batheaston.

The second phase will soon see the scheme open up further south of Bath’s city centre in July to cover Southdown and Combe Down.

Since the scheme was launched in October 2020, more than a quarter of a million rides were taken on the black and red Voi scooters. The company says this helps prevent more than 70,000 unnecessary short car journeys and saves an estimated 30 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

Councillor Matt McCabe, Bath and North East Somerset Cabinet Assistant for Sustainable Transport, said: “The purpose of including the whole city in these final months of the trial is to see whether e-scooters can reduce the number of short car journeys in Bath.

The government has announced that it will bring forward legislation to legalise e-scooters later this year, so this is the last chance for residents to experience them in a controlled manner. Voi is ready to deal with any issues regarding the scooters, where they are parked, and how they are ridden.”