Electric scooter hire firm aims to launch in city
AN electric scooter start-up is considering launching its service in Bristol - if current laws banning them in the UK are overturned.
US-based firm Bird will meet Bristol City Council as well as local authorities in Oxford and Cambridge in the coming months as part of its plans to expand to the UK.
Documents released to the Daily Telegraph by the Department for Transport show the company – which allows people to hire electric-powered scooters via an app, like YoBike – has identified the three cities because of their existing cycling infrasructure.
Electric scooter companies are unable to operate on public highways because of antiquated transport laws, including the Highway Act 1835.
However, companies like Bird and rival firm Lime are hopeful the government will relax the rules and allow them to set up in Britain – following successful launches in the US and Europe, including San Francisco, Paris and Madrid.
Documents released following a request by the Daily Telegraph under the Freedom of Information Act show that Bird is planning its expansion across the UK after the laws are changed.
A council spokesman confirmed: “We are due to have initial meetings in the new year with Bird to look at their scooters and discuss how they might fit in as one of the sustainable transport options in Bristol.”
The handwritten notes of a meeting between the Department for Transport’s public policy team and Bird in August show that the electric scooter business is particularly keen to deploy its scooters in Oxford and Cambridge because of their strong cycling infrastructure.
A Bird spokesman said: “We believe by giving people an environmentally friendly alternative to the car Bird can help cities cut congestion and improve air quality.
“We’ve had exploratory conversations with cities but will not launch on public roads before we’re legally able to do so.”
The collection of documents also includes Bird’s submission to the Department for Transport’s call for evidence on the future of mobility in the UK. The seven-page document called a change in transport laws “essential” for the country.
“This is vitally important to ensure that the UK does not fall behind other global innovation centres and that the UK Government can continue to meet its tar- gets to reduce air pollution,” Bird executives wrote in the document, according to the Telegraph.
Currently, Bird is only able to operate in East London’s Olympic Park. The company has been granted permission to run a threemonth trial of its service there, as the park is situated on private land and creates its own transport bylaws.