The trial of e-scooters in the borough expands today (Thurs) to include Langley, Wexham and Britwell.
The year long e-scooter trial launched in October in specific areas of the borough and in just five months 10,000 people have signed up to ride. Collectively the riders have covered 100,000km.
Run by partners and e-scooter experts Neuron Mobility Ltd, an additional 200 distinctive orange vehicles will be brought into the borough linking more areas with each other, public transport hubs and the town centre.
As the country continues to come out of lockdown and residents are given the option to return to work or be able to get out and about more, the e-scooters can offer a safe, socially distanced and zero emissions transport option.
Slough riders who have been surveyed revealed 60 per cent of trips taken were combined with public transport and 40 per cent of trips had directly replaced a car journey.
During the pandemic lockdowns Neuron has issued hundreds of free passes to NHS and emergency workers in the borough as well as council social care workers.
The care team regularly clean and sanitise the e-scooters and the on-vehicle helmets with hospital grade disinfectant to protect users as well as providing regular in-app reminders for riders to wash their hands.
Cllr Rob Anderson, cabinet member for sustainable transport and the environment, said: “We are delighted so many people have taken the opportunity to use this zero emission form of transport.
“So much so it is viable for the scheme to expand into more communities giving more residents another way to get around.
“As the country takes steps to come out of lockdown there is a chance to do things differently than before – maybe using an e-scooter instead of the car could be one of them.”
Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility, said: “After a successful five month trial period so far, we are delighted to be expanding our riding area in and around Slough, to provide more residents with a safe socially-distanced transport option.
“We have been proud to support the council with their Covid-19 response effort, and by expanding our fleet and riding area, we hope to continue to support the community.
“Safety is our top priority, it dictates our e-scooter design and also the way we operate them. Our e-scooters are packed with cutting-edge safety features and our safety course and riding guidelines have been co-developed with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the UK’s leading accident prevention charity.”
The expansion to the trial has been approved by the Department of Transport and the e-scooters can only be used on roads, in bus lanes, and in on road cycle lanes.
They are not permitted to be used on pavements.
Riders have to be aged over 18 years old and hold a provisional or full driving licence to be permitted to rent an e-scooter.
Failure to adhere to these rules may result in a criminal prosecution and points on the rider’s driving licence.
Rule breakers should be reported to the Neuron’s 24/7 customer service centre with the exact time, location and licence plate number.
Journeys begin and end with the simple scanning of a QR code. For single trips it costs £1 to unlock the e-scooter and 18 pence per minute thereafter. More frequent users have the option to purchase Neuron passes on a subscription service, available for three days a week at a cost of £15, weekly at £22 and monthly at £36.
The e-scooters have a top speed of 15.5mph for experienced riders and a 9mph top speed for beginners.
Privately-owned electric scooters remain outlawed for use on any public path and road.
The Neuron e-scooter app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play where driving licence details and a payment card will be required before being allowed to ride an e-scooter.