Staff at the RUH in Bath have welcomed the expansion of the West of England’s ongoing e-scooter trial to incorporate the hospital’s Combe Park site.
Jack Spence, Estates Maintenance Worker Team Leader at the RUH
The Royal United Hospital was recently included in an expanded trial zone for the Voi E-Scooters.
By downloading the Voi app, members of the public can hire a scooter from sites across the city to travel to and from the hospital, and around Bath.
Cris Fletcher, Sustainable Travel Coordinator at the RUH, said: “The scooters are a fantastic way to travel around the city sustainably and are already proving popular with people of all different ages across the trial areas in Bath and Bristol.
“There has already been a lot of interest from staff and NHS workers are currently eligible for a 100% discount on some deals. We expect the scooters to be popular with visitors to the hospital too.”
Jack Spence, Estates Maintenance Worker Team Leader, added: “The scooters are much easier to ride than you’d think, and they make travelling sustainably a lot more enjoyable.”
Dr Chris Meehan said: “I signed up to the long-term rental scheme, which costs me £35 a month. I went for the long-term option because there was no guarantee of a scooter near my house in the morning.
“The big advantage of long-term rental scooters is that they can be taken outside of the normal Voi zone that standard rental scooters can.”
E-scooters are available to unlock for £1 and cost 14p per minute. There are also a variety of subscriptions available (daily, weekly, and monthly), as well as discounted passes for students, emergency service workers, and those on low-incomes.
To ride a Voi E-Scooter, a user must have a provisional driving licence and be at least 18 years of age.
Voi has plans to situate a number of scooters next to bike stands outside of the RNHRD and Brownsword Therapies Centre at the RUH site, but for the time being staff and visitors are asked being asked to park responsibly by using the app to find the nearest designated parking bay.
