TIER calls time on York trial
E-scooter and e-bike operator TIER has informed City of York Council that it will not seek a contract extension, with the service set to end on 31 May.
The trial was part of the Department for Transport micro-mobility trial and has been operating since September 2020 in York.
The trial monitored and collected information regarding the use of hired e-scooters and e-bikes across the city to inform the creation of national guidelines.
York service users have clocked up more than 820,000m, with in excess of 500,000m journeys taken by nearly 60,000 users.
The council has not funded the service, and only led on selecting the operator for the city.
Since the trial launched in 2020, with an initial service area including York Hospital and the University of York, it has since been extended and rolled out across the city.
It is not legal to ride a private e-scooter on the highway now and this will remain illegal when the trial ends.
Cllr Pete Kilbane, executive member for economy and transport at City of York Council, said: “Participating in the Department for Transport trial enabled York to gain valuable insight into the use of e-scooters and e-bikes, and how we might look to make these permanent sustainable transport options in future.
“We’ve had an excellent partnership working with TIER over the years, and we’d like to thank them for working on the trial here in York.
“We’re disappointed TIER have decided to withdraw from York, but we know the findings will be prove insightful for the Department for Transport for the creation of their national guidelines and call on the Government for clarity about e-scooter legislation.
“The temporary government legislation for the trials are still in place, so we are in discussion with the Department for Transport about the options we have for a new operator to run an e-scooter trials in York”.
CoYC said it is having discussions with other providers.
York has recently carried out a 10-week consultation on transport, seeking to inform a new strategy. The city also sought funding last year for a Toyota-backed innovation challenge on urban mobility.
However, plans to improve the arrival experience at York station as part of a multimodal gateway scheme have struggled to win approval locally.
