E-rickshaws to connect Bay with city centre

PEOPLE will be able to whizz around Cardiff in electric rickshaws this autumn.

Taxi firm Ola has been given a licence to run 20 e-rickshaws, known as Zbees, between Cardiff Bay and the city centre.

People will be able to order the e-rickshaws through an app in the same way they would book an Uber or Ola taxi.

It is expected the e-rickshaws will begin operating in Cardiff from September.

Initially the Zbees will only operate from Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, Lloyd George Avenue, and throughout the city centre up to City Hall as part of a pilot.

But if the pilot goes well, Ola would look to make up to 100 Zbees available within Cardiff in the future and operate them across a wider area of the city centre.

Ben Legg, managing director of Ola UK, said: “This will reduce noise, pollution, they take up less space so it reduces congestion, and it’s really fun.

“It puts Cardiff on the forefront of city centre management.”

The e-rickshaws will carry a maximum of two passengers and be used for general use through its booking app rather than for preplanned routes such as sightseeing tours.

The Zbees have been run in Stockholm, Sweden, for one and a half years without any major incidents.

The Zbees go up to 30mph and their batteries have a range of up to 60 miles.

People will have to be 16 or over to book one of the e-rickshaws and drivers will be able to refuse passengers who are underage.