E-scooters company 'beefs up' Voi ambassadors in Northampton to enhance presence amid criticism

E-scooters will soon have number plates to spot riders who flout the law and 10 more Voi ambassadors will be in town to teach users how to ride safely.

It comes as Voi and Northamptonshire County Council have confirmed to the Chronicle & Echo that there are no plans to halt the e-scooter services in Northampton.

Complaints followed the Government-backed launch of the scooters here three weeks ago after they were being ridden on footpaths in Abington Street and left abandoned around the town.

Since the trial began there have been over 26,000 scooter journeys made in the town but bosses for Voi have said there has been 'a minimal number of complaints'.

Electric scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles, which mean they are treated as motor vehicles and are subject to all the same legal requirements such as insurance and licensing

A spokeswoman for Voi said: "There are no plans to halt Northampton services where the trial has been greeted enthusiastically.

"As with any new scheme there are always learnings to take from the first few days and we are actively listening to feedback."

Three hundred e-scooters, which are paid for by the minute via an app, have been dotted around the town at places such as the train station, bus station and the university campus, in bid to encourage bus, taxi or car users to jump on a scooter instead.

The scooters have an area of the town where they are allowed to be taken to, which has been worked out by Voi and the county council and includes the town centre and stretches to as far as Moulton Park.

The vehicles must then be parked in public areas where the next users can locate the scooter using the Voi app but groups like the National Federation for the Blind have said they are a trip hazard.

New measures are being 'implemented rapidly' by Voi to ensure town centre residents are kept safe.

The spokeswoman added: "We're more than doubling our ambassadors on the ground - the Northampton ambassadors team has been beefed up to 16 people - to make sure that there is always a presence with the fleet, helping new riders learn how to ride safely."

All scooters 'in the coming days' will have clear number plates to help identify riders who flout the rules and there will be ten more Voi ambassadors on the streets to enforce safe behaviour.

When a user travels out of the operational zone they will be blocked shortly thereafter and there will be increased use of no-ride zones and slow-speed zones, particularly in areas where there are close interactions with pedestrians.

The spokeswoman added: "We are taking these increased safety measures so that the people of Northampton have more choice on how to travel and can enjoy the convenience, increased social distancing and low-carbon benefits of electric scooters.

"As Voi integrates further into the transport network and people adopt e-scooter usage in their daily lives, we expect to save between 80 and 470 tonnes of CO2 eq. by replacing cars and other carbon intensive modes. Every Voi ride is 100% carbon neutral.

"This is part of our mission to transform the way people travel around urban areas, promoting a green, innovative recovery and improving the environment we all live in."