E-bikes and e-scooters expand across region
Around 40,000 more people have more sustainable travel choices from today, as the e-bike and e-scooter trial expands across the West of England.
Mayor Helen Godwin joined Councillor Chris Willmore from South Gloucestershire Council and Iqbal Ahmed from operator Dott to announce the news from a freshly-marked e-bike and e-scooter parking zone at the Lyde Green Park & Ride travel hub. The trio highlighted the importance of responsible parking for the scheme to work best for the West of England, with more marked, physical parking bays set to be installed in addition to the current GPS geo-fenced parking zones shown on the Dott app.
People in Lyde Green can hop on an e-bike or e-scooter from today (18 June), when a phased expansion into Cadbury Heath, Longwell Green, Oldland Common, and Warmley will also begin. From 7 July, Coalpit Heath, Frampton Cotterell, and Winterbourne will follow. More areas in the West of England are also set to be able to access e-bikes and e-scooters, later this summer.
E-bikes and e-scooters have been widely used in Bristol and Bath since launching as part of a trial in 2020. Almost 10,000 rides are already made every day. Just this week Dott celebrates its five millionth journey in our part of the world, which is their fourth highest place world-wide for journeys. This summer, almost 4,000 e-bikes and e-scooters will be here in the West of England.
Today, plans to publish more data from the trial were also confirmed alongside news of an upcoming safety campaign around e-scooters.
E-bikes and e-scooters have quickly become a big part of our transport mix in Bristol and Bath, and parts of South Gloucestershire, helping to reduce congestion on our roads and improve air quality. Some 40,000 more people across South Gloucestershire will have chance to hop on an e-bike or e-scooter for shorter, more sustainable journeys too.
Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England
It’s great to be able to share that news here today with Chris and Mike at one of our new travel hubs at Lyde Green Park & Ride. This site already brings together buses and bikes, and now also has a marked, dedicated parking area for e-bikes and e-scooters.
As more parts of South Gloucestershire join this trial, we need to have learned the lessons from the initial e-scooter launch. Convenient travel for some people shouldn’t inconvenience others – so there will be a renewed focus on responsible parking. Working with the police and councils, we will also soon be starting of a joint e-scooter safety campaign to try to help everyone stay safe on our roads.
We are very pleased to see e-bikes and e-scooters expand to cover more areas in South Gloucestershire, offering communities another sustainable option for travel.
Councillor Chris Willmore, South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Regeneration and Infrastructure
As part of our climate and nature emergency aims, we are committed to reducing dependence on cars by encouraging the use of low-carbon, convenient ways to move around the area. Making small changes in the way we travel can help reduce congestion and improve air quality, bringing improvements for everyone.
Reaching 5 million rides in the West of England Combined Authority area is a great milestone that reflects the growing role of shared mobility in people’s everyday lives.
Iqbal Ahmed, Head of Public Policy UK/Ireland at Dott
At Dott, our mission is to change mobility for good, together. We are committed to working with the Mayor of the West of England and all local authorities to improve intermodal transport and develop sustainable ways of riding.
For more details about the new areas and exact locations of parking bays, visit the Dott mobile app.
This trial scheme is part of a national initiative, which the Department for Transport extended to run until May 2026.
Press release by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
