Decision made on the future of e-scooter renting in Liverpool as Department for Transport trial set to end

Amid reduced public transport services during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Department for Transport (DfT) began a trial for the renting of scooters and bikes with Liverpool as one of the first cities.

The original deadline for the end of the trials was November 2021 but has been extended ever since. The city council’s existing contract – with Voi – is due to expire on June 5.

A fresh extension of the scheme has now been announced to May 2026, with the local authority seeking sign off from its cabinet to keep the vehicles on the streets. The current contract with the Swedish firm was adopted when Voi adopted areas from Liverpool Council following the closure of its CityBike scheme.

A local authority cabinet report in 2022 said the size of the CityBike scheme reduced year on year, due to theft and vandalism, coupled with a lack of available funding to invest in new bikes. As a result, the scheme became what the council described as “unsustainable” due to the annual losses of around £300k each year.

A cabinet report said how the original trial was procured when “e-scooter trials were an unknown quantity.” However, e-scooters have proved more popular than expected.

It is thought the current scheme brings in more than £300,000 in revenue for the city council, making the need for a new contract a necessity given the city’s financial situation. Analysis by Liverpool Council said the vehicle had proven “very popular” particularly by a large number of workers, students, visitors and residents, particularly during spring and summer.

Under the new scheme, it is proposed that the area of operation will be expanded under the new concession contract to cover the whole area within the council’s administrative boundaries. The scooters could also be made available all day long 24/7 to support shift workers, when public transport is not available, is being considered.

The DfT is conducting extensive evaluation of e-scooter trials to build robust evidence about the safety, benefits, public perceptions and wider impacts of e-scooters to inform legal changes that may be necessary after the trial period ends. By entering into this concession contract, the council will receive revenue income for the duration of the contract from the operator plus a profit share on the operation of the scheme.

The proposals will go before the cabinet members on Tuesday March 25.