Beryl is expanding its e-scooter hire scheme on the Isle of Wight to include Sandown and Shanklin, it has been announced.
This expansion will increase the overall fleet of e-scooters across the Island with an additional 25 e-Scooters. It comes 7 months into a 12-month Government trial.
Since November last year, 32,000 journeys have been taken by 6,000 individual riders in Newport, Ryde and Cowes. Due to Beryl’s innovative geo-fenced and lined bays, 95% of journeys end in one – ensuring the scheme is convenient for both riders and pedestrians.
There will be 19 new bay locations in Sandown and Shanklin from next Tuesday (13th July), which will all be included on the Beryl app. Bays have been chosen in full consultation with Isle of Wight Council, Island Roads, Hampshire Constabulary and Solent Transport.
To celebrate the launch, Beryl is offering people in Sandown and Shanklin the first 10 minutes of their rides free on the day of launch, Tuesday 13th until Monday 19th July, as well as providing 10% of all minute bundles for all Isle of Wight between 7th and 18th July.
In-person launch events, which will include competitions and e-scooter skills sessions will take place on the 13th July, at Jubilee Square in Shanklin and 14th July on The Esplanade in Sandown. The events team will also be at Ryde Town Square on Wednesday (7th July), St James’s Square Newport on Thursday (8th July) and outside Waitrose in East Cowes on Friday (9th July).
For more information on these events, visit https://berylbikes.eventbrite.co.uk
Philip Ellis, CEO of Beryl, has said:
‘’We’re delighted to be expanding our e-scooter scheme on the Isle of Wight today, offering people in Sandown and Shanklin a sustainable, convenient, and enjoyable form of transport.
‘’Since we launched last year, thousands of people have used the e-scooters. We were proud to also offer NHS workers free rides during the Coronavirus pandemic and discounted rides to those on the Kickstart Scheme.
‘’By using the scheme, residents of and visitors to the Isle of Wight are helping to reduce congestion and pollution on the island, and we can’t wait to see people making use of them over the summer and beyond.’’
Councillor Phil Jordan, Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure said:
“It’s great to see how Islanders and visitors have embraced e-scooters since they launched last year.
“I hope with the expansion to Sandown and Shanklin, as the roadmap out of COVID-19 goes to the next stage, the summer will be a good time to get out and about and enjoy the area on two wheels in a fun and environmentally friendly way.”
Beryl encourages safe and responsible scooting. Riders must be 16 or over and hold a UK-valid provisional or full driving licence to ride.
Serious accident on the way without doubt. Motorised vehicle v Scooter with a no-helmet rider, or Scooter v pedestrian on the pavement. Project will be canned, more tax payers money down the drain. Thanks Dave.
Saw on a national news program a couple of days ago, 2 people using electric scooters have died, thankfully not on the Island.
Everything involves a certain amount of risk, and you can’t stop progress (unless you live on the isle of wight!)
quite agree, regular now on Cliff Road in Lake, today 2 children riding up and down and towing another scooter on the highway, totally illegal.
The scheme is self funded by Beryl. If the DFT approve these schemes (there are many in the trial phase across the UK) then local councils may grant money towards them, but IF that happens it is some way off. And so far, e scooters have demonstrably been much safer than bicycles, ebikes, cars, drunk drivers, pedestrians jaywalking etc with virtually no accidents, serous or otherwise, reported – unlike the others I mentioned.
Mr Ellis and Mr Jordan’s comments reflect the benefits of the scheme, and not the reality.
I accept the environmental benefits and the enjoyment these scooters can bring. But you only have to spend an hour watching to see that many of the users do not abide by any of the rules. Most Beryl scooters are ridden dangerously on pavements have two people on board, some riders are younger than driving licence age and some of those riding on the road are an accident waiting to happen.
When someone is killed I do not want to hear from either gentleman that “ lessons will be learned”.
The Council need to set up a monitoring project immediately.
The council DO monitor the scheme, as do Beryl.
Clearly not effectively. You only have to observe for yourself.
In many cases users of the Beryl scooters are not obeying the rules.
The small sign on the frame of the scooters regarding their use is either not seen or ignored.
It needs to be in a far far more prominent position and much larger.
I would have thought that the scooter design could be modified to prevent two people riding one scooter too.
Also the Council need to place signs near the scooter parking areas to reinforce the rules , hopefully paid for by Beryl.
Another problem is that owners of private e-scooters think that if the green ones are allowed on public spaces then they can use theirs too. A re-think is urgently needed.
Having already come across an idiot thinking these things are for road use I’d say legalising them really is storing up trouble down the line.
They are for road use.
The green Beryl scooters are for ROAD USE ONLY.
Private e-scooters cannot be used in any public spaces at all. ONLY ON PRIVATE LAND where riders have legal access
I was worried about them when they first had them in Ryde, the first people I saw on them was Christmas Day when two on one of them came along the pavement towards me. Pavement riding meant to be a no no, but look how many people ride bikes along the pavement, and drive cars along the pavement to park. Since then though, I have seen the scooters mainly being used responsibly. There are always going to be the ones who don’t, like those I sometimes see late at night with 2 on 1 of them. I wish though they could be parked to like alongside a wall and not sticking out across the pavements so that someone could trip over them.
Tried to edit my earlier comment but the editing feature is now gone. I made a typing mistake, sentence should have read: I wish though they could be parked to lie alongside the wall and not sticking out across the pavement where someone could trip over one. Sorry it wouldn’t make sense the way it was left with the typing mistake,’ like’ instead of ‘lie’. There really should be the editing function still in place. Why has it been removed? And while we are on the subject of things being removed, why are so many comments being removed? Some I saw yesterday making good points in another section, and today gone.
They normally leave mine up for a few hours then take it down, IE blame the robots….. very strange ?… Shame tho.
Surely not beyond GPS technology to stop riders on these who travel the wrong way along one way streets, limit them to a reasonable speed and max walking pace in pedestrian only areas. Shame the idiots ruin it for those who genuinely take care on them and abide by the rules.
Beryl the peril not needed here!
Surely it’s time for a rethink on what modes of transport can be legally used on pavements, and enforcement.