SOMERSET West and Taunton Council is seeking the views of residents, businesses, and visitors to Minehead in response to the town’s e-scooter trial.

Minehead’s e-scooter scheme was introduced in June 2021 and is the second of two trials launched by the council as part of its commitment towards achieving carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2030.

Both schemes are managed by the Council’s e-scooter operator Zipp Mobility and are approved by the Department for Transport (DfT).

In June 2022, the DfT announced an extension of all trials until May 31, 2024 to enable the collection of further data with regards to safety, and to establish best practices for shared micromobility services.

Consequently, SWT is encouraging both users and non-users specific to Minehead’s trial to have their say.

The Minehead trial has seen more than 27,200 rides by just over 11,000 riders who have travelled almost 40,261 miles since launching, removing an estimated 5.5 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere compared to fossil fuel-powered transport.

The trial currently has 50 e-scooters located across the coastal town at 27 approved parking bays. Bay numbers have increased since the launch with requests for additional bays coming from local businesses wanting parking bays close to their place of work for commuting staff and visitors.

A five-minute survey asking for information about the use of the service, preferences on the trial being extended and suggestions for improvements will be available to complete online from today, August 30.

Any residents, businesses, and visitors to Minehead are welcome to complete the survey on this website.

The survey will stay open until September 30 and the information obtained will help inform SWT and Zipp Mobility on how the scheme can be enhanced.