Wexford has now inaugurated its inaugural collaborative e-scooter scheme, with approximately 50 electric scooters gracing its streets since Thursday. This trial programme, being conducted under the auspices of the Wexford County Council, is in collaboration with the Bolt mobility application. Bolt already manages 50 e-bikes in the town.
Claire Goodwin, who is the Cycling and Walking Officer at Wexford County Council, divulged to the ”RTÉ News at One” that it’s planned for the e-scooter arrangement to operate similarly to the prevailing e-bike programme in the town.
“To put in layman’s terms, users need to install the Bolt app, following which they’re enabled to unlock either a scooter or a bicycle at a chosen parking spot and manoeuvre around town to a different spot. ”
The scooters need to be returned to allocated parking spaces, which are always situated centrally in Wexford.
” With Bolt supplying the scooters for testing for six months, if they are utilised effectively, it’s likely we’ll extend the scheme,” Ms Goodwin shared.
Ms Goodwin noted that the scooters come equipped with an electronic speed restrainer of 20km/h, so as to avoid over-speeding, even on a downward slope.
There is an additional array of safety measures – mandatory for users to provide their personal details and inclusion of an inbuilt GPS. Riders have to be registered on the Bolt network and aged a minimum of 18.
She further mentioned that riders have to pass cognitive reaction tests, ensuring they are not under any influence. A tandem riding prevention system would prevent more than one person from riding simultaneously.
Bolt will mandate designated parking areas throughout Wexford town to ensure their scooters are parked appropriately.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, James Lawless, launched the programme.
Simultaneous e-scooter schemes are currently active in several cities globally. Since 2021, public trials have been executed in London under three operators.
Nonetheless, such initiatives have been barred in Paris, France; Copenhagen, Denmark and Melbourne, Australia, due to concerns about safety issues.