THE number of e-scooters rolled out as part of a Chester pilot project is to more than double to 100. Cheshire west and Chester Council is running the 12-month pilot project with e-scooter provider Ginger as part of a Department for Transport (DfT) initiative to encourage greener travel methods. Since the pilot began last December, Ginger scooter users have clocked up 64,191 miles around Chester – more than enough to travel two and a half times around the Earth. Now the scheme is being expanded, with the 40 available e-scooters soon to become 100 across the city, with over 20 new additional dockless parking bays added to improve access at various locations, including Sealand Road Park & Ride.
POLICE in Chester have reminded residents that the use of the new e-scooters in the town are for those aged 18 and above only. It comes after officers in Upton had to speak to a child who had been using one of the Ginger e-scooters, and had used his mother s driving licence to gain access. In response, Ginger said access had been granted by an adult who had passed the age and licence verification processes, which used facial recognition technology, before handing the scooter over to an underage person. The e-scooters were rolled out in Chester as part of a year-long trial in conjunction with Cheshire west and Chester Council on December 21, 2020, and are designed to encourage greener travel methods.