Residents of Braintree will be able to access Spin’s e-scooters through a new long-term hire subscription model as a green, socially-distanced alternative mode of transport.
Residents of Braintree will be able to access Spin’s e-scooters through a new long-term hire subscription model as a green, socially-distanced alternative mode of transport. For the first time, users who live in Braintree will be able to take home their Spin e-scooters for a monthly flat fee.
Launching on the 30th March in Braintree, Spin+ will allow residents to rent an e-scooter for £55 per month. The subscription includes the Spin scooter that the rider will have exclusive access to, insurance, helmet, charging cable, 24/7 customer support and maintenance.
Spin’s other service areas in Essex (Basildon, Chelmsford, Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea) operate through a slightly different model where residents can rent e-scooters per minute through a shared scheme rather than having exclusive access to a single e-scooter.
Approved by the Department for Transport, Essex County Council is working with Spin, Braintree District Council and Essex Police in leading on the e-scooter trials as part of its Safer, Greener, Healthier transport campaign.
Private e-scooters are currently still illegal on public roads in the UK, however the Department for Transport is running a number of UK-wide trials, including Spin’s, where anyone over 18 and with a valid driving licence can legally hire an e-scooter.
Those hiring the scooters will have to abide by strict operational rules to ensure safety of all road users including pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. The Spin e-scooters are speed-restricted to a maximum speed of 15.5mph and use geo-fencing technology to prevent them being used outside of permitted areas.
The e-scooters can be ridden anywhere bicycles are permitted, including most low-speed (up to 30mph) roads. Users will have access to an app that provides information of where they are permitted to ride and the e-scooters are not permitted on pavements and should only carry one person at a time.
Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Infrastructure said: “It is important we find ways to encourage people to take up greener methods of travel and the e-scooter trial is a great way to explore alternative methods of getting around the district and hopefully help to reduce shorter car journeys. This is part of our ongoing climate change strategy for Braintree District.”
Commenting on the scheme, Steve Pyer, UK Country Manager at Spin said, “E-scooters are a simple and fun way to get around in Essex. Our key aim is to provide a socially distanced and safe way for people to travel as we are coming out of lockdown and one that also reduces the number of short car journeys made. Our rider survey in Milton Keynes has already shown that 63 per cent of riders used an e-scooter instead of driving, so it’s also better for the environment.”
Anyone interested in the Spin+ long-term hire subscription trial in Braintree can sign up here; https://www.spin.app/