E-scooter trial to extend to three more areas of Northampton this week including busy industrial estates

More areas of Northampton will be covered on the e-scooter trial from later this week.

Voi, which operates the scooters, launched in the town in September last year and allows residents to find an e-scooter using the app.

Rides are then tracked to ensure the scooters stay within the permitted areas.

Despite some issues leading to criminal activity and safety concerns last year, the company has analysed data provided by the app to see that responsible riders are using the scooters to commute to work, including to Moulton Park businesses.

To reach more industrial estates for commuters, Voi will extend the operating areas of the scooters to include Billing, Hunsbury and Wootton from Thursday (March 4).

This means residents who work on Lodge Farm, Round Spinney and Swan Valley industrial estates will be able to ride one of the scooters from elsewhere within the permitted area, including the town centre, to and from their place of work.

A spokeswoman for Voi said: “So far, we have over 15,300 users in Northampton, and over 193,500 rides were taken since launch, with over 351,300km (more than 200,000 miles) travelled using our scooters.

“The data from the trial has shown us that e-scooters are regularly used for commuting and that demand is higher during peak times.

“On March 4, we will be extending the e-scooter trial to other Northampton areas, including Little Billing, Hunsbury and Wootton.

“The additions bring into scope important business parks such as Lodge Farm, Round Spinney and Swan Valley.

“This extension aims to enable more journeys to work and other essential travel to be done using this green, convenient, and accessible transport mode.

“We are also delighted that, through the trial, the equivalent of 49 full-time jobs have been created in key operational and support roles locally in the town.”

Voi has already extended across the county to Kettering and Corby and today (March 2) launched in Wellingborough, Rushden and Higham.

The company also recently teamed up with a technology business to help improve the safety of the mode of transport, by implementing a number of new restrictions, slow zones and no park zones.

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