MIGHTY AMBITIONS FOR SCOOTER HIRE
A SOUTH Wales firm has ambitions to become the e-scooter equivalent of Nextbike.
GOiA, based in Aberdare and Cardiff, is looking to create a UK-wide network, with an initial focus on Wales, of docking stations where people can hire e-scooters via an app.
Similar to the Nextbike model, where the capital now has hundreds of bikes for hire, GOiA is the latest new venture of Inter Vehicle Group (IVG) which operates a number of companies in the vehicle and vehicle-sharing sectors.
With venture capital backing, it will initially create 10 jobs through its e-scooter rollout in an investment of several hundred thousand pounds.
It is currently in talks with local authorities across Wales and the rest of the UK.
The initial deployment will see 200 e-scooters deployed in Cardiff with 36 docking stations.
The first locations will be revealed shortly.
It is aiming to have a fleet of e-scooters by the end of this year with a total of 80 docking stations across Wales.
It is also in talks with five other UK cities with plans to deploy 200 e-scooters per location.
At the end of 2021 it is forecasting to have a presence in all 22 local authorities in Wales, with a further 15 deployments in locations in the rest of the UK.
Its docking stations will also be compatible with e-bikes.
The price regime for hiring e-scooters will be 10p per minute, with £1 to undock. This means that a journey from Cardiff Central to Cardiff Bay could cost around £2.
GOiA will also be offering subscription options where a monthly payment will waive the ‘undocking’ fee, as well as providing a free personal helmet.
Under new rules announced by the UK Government’s Department for Transport, e-scooters are now allowed on roads across the UK as part of a rental pilot scheme.
The technology and hardware being used by GOiA will be app-based, utilising docking stations and GPS control and monitoring.
This will mean that its e-scooters can be located using the app, booked, used, and then docked again.
Its GPS technology will also allow speed limit restrictions with the ability to disable scooters, if needed. Users will need to have a provisional driving licence.
Plans are also in place to introduce solar-powered docking stations and charging points.
On the creation of GOiA, Jarrad Morris, group managing director of IVG, said: “Wales has a huge opportunity to lead the way in micro-mobility and build on excellent schemes such as Nextbike in Cardiff.
“We recognise the work that local authorities are putting into clean air strategies and improving micro-mobility in green, sustainable ways, and as a Welsh business we want to be part of that and do our bit to make it possible.
“By utilising the latest technology, we can use e-scooters as a key travel option throughout towns and cities, not just for lastmile journeys but areas where having a car might be impractical.
“We are able to limit the speed of our e-scooters in city centres, track them and disable them if they are misused, and by utilising a docking station, limit chances of our product being left where it shouldn’t be.
“And to rent an e-scooter you must have a provisional driving licence, therefore stopping children accessing them.”