E-scooter operator Voi fined £726 after failing to hand over information to Northamptonshire Police

The operator of Northamptonshire’s e-scooter trial has been fined after it admitted failing to give information requested by police.

It heard on Monday last week that the company, which has its UK office in Wardour Street, London, had failed to give police information about an incident in Northamptonshire on Thursday, October 27, last year.

It was fined £440 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £176 and further costs of £110. A Voi spokesperson blamed an “administration error” for not giving the information to the police by the force’s deadline but said the company has since handed all details over.

Last month Voi’s trial across the county was extended by the company and Northamptonshire’s councils until May 2024. It was first launched in September 2020 and its e-scooters have been used for about 3.2 million journeys.

Two people have died as a result of accidents involving the e-scooters in Northampton since the start of the trial. A pensioner died in October 2020 after they fell into the road trying to move one. A 21-year-old woman riding one died in December 2021 after a collision with a car.

A Voi spokesperson said: “Northamptonshire Police is an important, valued partner and we continually work closely together to improve road safety and ensure our service benefits communities in the region, including fully complying with all legal requests for information.

“However, on this rare occasion, due to an administrative error, we were unable to supply the police with the requested information within the required deadline. Whilst the reported e-scooter had no registration marks and is likely to be a private scooter, Voi has since provided all available information to help support Northamptonshire Police,” they said.

“We fully accept the penalty fine imposed and are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. We have since rectified our internal procedures to ensure this issue doesn’t happen again.”

Northamptonshire Police’s chief constable Nick Adderley said he was “not a fan” of the e-scooters in August. He said he was looking to work with the Department for Transport to tighten laws around their use.

But Voi and West and North Northamptonshire Councils said they were “pleased” to extend the trial in December. In a statement, they said the e-scooters help to cut carbon emissions and “help make public transport accessible to a greater number of people…and encourage more people out of their cars”.

Other trials have been extended across the country until 2024 in various cities including Bristol, Birmingham, Southampton, Cambridge and Oxford.