Chester’s e-scooter trial suspended as UK Government delays over legislation

Chester’s trial e-scooter service has been suspended, with the company behind it ‘reviewing’ its operations.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has reiterated its commitment to sustainable and affordable transport following the decision by Ginger, the company operating the e-scooter service, to suspend its operations until further notice.

Ginger has operated a trial of e-scooters in Chester since 21 December 2020 as part of the Department for Transport’s micro-mobility e-scooter rental trial, introduced to gather evidence and inform UK government policy.

As part of this pioneering trial, there have been more than 180 e-scooters available for hire in Chester from 47 dockless parking locations available throughout the city to start or end a journey using the Ginger Shared Transport App.

According to the Eastern Daily Press, Ginger pulled the plug on its trial in Great Yarmouth last week because of “growing frustration with the government about delays in bringing in new rules for the devices.”

A message on the Ginger app read: “The e-scooter service in Great Yarmouth is run on a trial basis with private investment whilst the government decides on how to legalise e-scooters and wider micro-mobility.

“These trials were meant to last one year, starting in 2020. The government has recently announced they will require more than six years to decide, still providing no certainty for operators.

“We have tried all we can to provide continuity, but the indefinite delay is making it very difficult for operators, especially British operators like Ginger.”

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore, said:

“The Council is saddened to hear of the removal of Ginger Scooters from Chester streets for the many users of this trailblazing technology in our city provided through the trial hire scheme.

The trial has supported the Council’s Climate Emergency Response Plan. It has provided a ‘green’ restart of local travel with the aim of mitigating the impact of reduced public transport capacity that came about during the height of the pandemic, providing a sustainable mode of transport around the city and reducing short, single-occupancy car journeys. We are in discussions and awaiting further information about the decision.”

The Council’s approach is pioneering, and we’ll continue to progress with our many sustainable transport options for Chester and the rest of the borough. We are committed to affordable and sustainable transport and will continue to make great headway, keeping our residents and visitors connected to the places they need to get to.”

Paul Hodgins, Chief Executive of Ginger, said:

“We are reviewing our operations and trying to find a way to come back to Chester, which has been a great place for e-scooters, proving the future of local transport in small efficient vehicles, not big cars.

We have greatly appreciated the support of the Council, who have been fantastic partners. They are doing a lot of innovative things in green transport and are working hard on enabling future transport for all residents. We encourage you to continue to support those efforts. And finally, we’d like to thank our amazing local team who kept the fleet running safely and efficiently.”