A TRIAL hire scheme for electric-powered scooters is set to be introduced in Bournemouth and Poole in the new year.

BCP Council have revealed that 25 e-scooters will be available for use on public roads and cycle paths during a trial period from Monday January 25, 2021.

They will be limited to a top speed of 12.5mph and are equipped with a speedometer, bell and on-board GPS tracking system.

The e-scooters are produced by Beryl, the company which own the popular rental bikes used by BCP Council for the past 18 months.

BCP Council’s portfolio holder for transport and sustainability Cllr Mike Greene said: “It is a fantastic scheme, and it is really good to be doing it with Beryl.

“When we were looking into launching this project, we wanted to do it with a company that was reliable and trusted and we wanted to make sure that we have the right support network behind us so the fact that we have Beryl onside, who we have used for many years, is brilliant.

“The scheme will be started on January 25 and will last until November which is great as we will be able to see how the e-scooters are received by residents over the next few months when the town is busy and quiet, at peak times when there will be a lot of pedestrians and not.

“It is almost inevitable that e-scooters will be legalised for road use, if not by late 2021 than 2022, so it is good to be ahead of game with it so that if and when they are legalised, we are ready.”

The Department of Transport trials are already under way in cities such as Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Bristol and including pilots, run by bike share operator Beryl, in Norwich and on the Isle of Wight.

Residents wishing to hire an e-scooter must have a valid driving licence, which will need to be verified via the Beryl app. The hire agreement will also provide the user with vehicle insurance, covered by Beryl.

Cllr Greene added: “We are one of the most congested conurbations in the country. That is why we as a council are looking or environmentally friendly schemes such as this to get behind and help change that.

“So, if these scooters are used to do small journeys and reduces the number of cars on our road, it is only going to benefit the town and its residents.

“It is something that is going to help us become a greener more sustainable council area.”

Although only 25 will be available from January 25, the council say they have the capacity to increase the number of e-scooters to 250 if the demand is there.

There are 280 places where people will be able to park the electric scooters, including at major attractions and locations such as the hospital, the station and the university

Apart from government-approved trials, it is currently illegal to use privately-owned e-scooters on roads.

Accessibility Team Leader at BCP Council Nick Phillips added: “It is good that we are helping to inform and transform national policy as we want to be seen to be at the forefront of innovation.

“The reason why we have based them in Bournemouth and Poole is because these are arguably the hilliest areas. Where we are in Bournemouth, we are based in a river valley so whichever direction you want to go, you have to go uphill, but the e-scooters make light work of the hills around here.

“The introduction of the scooters won’t squeeze the bike out; we see it very much as complimentary to the bike service we already have.

“We want to provide people with the choice of the two as they are both reasonable prices and easy to use.”