American shared micromobilty firm Bird has been granted an extension to its trial of e-scooters in Canterbury until the end of November 2022, Kent County Council has said.
The UK-wide e-scooter trials were due to end this month but the Department for Transport (DfT) announced in December that it would extend the trial until at least November so it could collect more data.
According to estimates by leading micromobility publisher Zag Daily, there are more than 350 shared devices in the area.
“We are thrilled to support the trial extensions together with Kent County Council as demand for our vehicles continue to rise,” said James Padden, general manager for UK & Ireland at Bird.
“We can see an almost fourfold increase in rides compared with this time last year, demonstrating significant untapped demand from Canterbury residents for a convenient, clean, and fun alternative to motor transport.
“Our scooters are also especially popular before or after a train journey, showing that micromobility is fast becoming an integral part of the transport mix for the city.”
Bird provides the vehicles, but it is the council’s responsibility to host the EVs on its network in the area and gather views from the local residents.
David Brazier, Kent County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We welcome the opportunity to continue hosting this trial of electric scooters in parts of Canterbury.
“The economic and environmental benefits of electric micro-transport are well documented, but it is crucial we monitor the progress of this scheme to get a true understanding of how people use and interact with them.”
Bird operates in Canterbury and Redditch in the UK while globally it is now present in more than 400 locations.
Bird also recently launched its ebikes through an exclusive partnership with Halfords.