Ireland’s first shared e-scooter scheme has been launched in Wexford, with around 50 electric scooters hitting the streets of the town on Thursday.
The pilot scheme by Wexford County Council is being run in conjunction with the mobility app Bolt. The company already operates 50 e-bikes in Wexford town.
Claire Goodwin, cycling and walking officer at Wexford County Council, told the RTÉ News at One that the e-scooter scheme will work in a similar fashion to the existing e-bike scheme in the town.
“Basically users download the Bolt app and then they can activate a scooter or a bike from a particular parking location and scoot around town to another parking location.
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“Scooters have to be returned to designated parking locations [which are] always in the centre of Wexford.
“Bolt are providing the scooters for six months on a trial basis and if they are well used we will probably continue the scheme in to the future,” Ms Goodwin said.
Ms Goodwin says that the scooters have an electronic speed limit of 20km/h, to prevent speeding, even when going downhill.
“Additional safety features include requiring users to register their details, and built-in GPS tracking. To be able to ride a Bolt scooter, users will need to be registered on the Bolt platform and be at least 18 years of age.
“There will also be cognitive reaction tests to ensure sober riding, along with a tandem riding prevention system to stop people from riding with an additional passenger.
“Bolt will ensure its scooters are parked responsibly through the use of mandatory parking locations across Wexford town.”
The scheme was launched today by Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless.
Shared e-scooter schemes are already in operation in many cities across the world. Public trials have been running in London with three operators since 2021.
However, such schemes have been banned in Paris, France; Copenhagen in Denmark and in Melbourne, Australia, amid safety concerns.
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