York e-scooter scheme expanded to include e-bikes

The number of electric scooters available for hire in York will increase from 100 to 700 by the end of February.

Electric bikes will also be added to the trial scooter scheme which is operated by private company Tier.

The city council was told 3,822 trips were made in the six weeks since it launched in September 2020 and no-one had been injured during that period.

It has also backed plans to expand the area the scheme covers.

The Department for Transport-backed one-year trial will include Clifton, Rawcliffe, Southbank, Fulford and Heworth by the end of February, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service .

Scooters can be hired using a phone app at the city's two universities, the hospital and locations in the city centre, and can only be used on roads and cycle lanes, not on footpaths.

The company uses geofencing technology to locate the scooters. It also enables Tier to prevent users from travelling above a certain speed limit, on pedestrianised streets or outside the approved operating zones.

The government changed the law in 2020 to allow electric scooters to be used as part of council-run rental schemes and riders must hold at least a provisional driving licence and be insured.

It remains illegal to use privately owned e-scooters on roads.