The pandemic has severely impacted the ride-hailing services, as well as public transportation services. It has made us rethink our daily transportation mode. E-scooters are becoming increasingly popular as it’s one of the safest, socially-distanced, and sustainable ways to move around.
Keeping this in mind, the Singapore-based safety-leading e-scooter operator – Neuron Mobility is all set to expand its services to Slough’s street, UK. The 12-month trial period, due to start in the mid-month of October, will see 250 purpose-built e-scooters deployed across Slough to help get the town moving again.
Test Ride
Founded in Singapore in 2016, Neuron is a shared electric scooter operator and micro mobility technology developer. It also offers e-scooter battery swapping, geofencing control, and integrated helmets.
As part of Neuron’s investment into the town, the company will create around 25 skilled jobs which will be recruited locally. Slough riders will benefit from Neuron’s latest N3 e-scooters which have been purpose-built for renting and rider safety.
“Safety is our top priority, it dictates our e-scooter design and also the way we operate them. Our N3 e-scooters are jam-packed with cutting-edge safety features and our safety course and riding guidelines have been co-developed with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the UK’s leading accident prevention charity,” says Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility.
Earlier this month, the Singapore-based operator entered into a partnership with RoSPA . This partnership allowed the company to bring the best practice in shared e-scooter safety to Britain.
Cllr Rob Anderson, Slough Borough Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Environmental Services, said, “The town’s bus lanes, including the current experimental lanes on the A4, will be able to be used by the rental scooters leading to them being an attractive and sustainable way to travel in the borough.”
Safety is priority
Neuron and the Council will be using geofencing technology to create ‘slow zones’, ‘no parking zones’ and ‘no go zones’ in specific areas across the town, in order to improve safety. Each e-scooter is also fitted with a unique license plate number for easy identification and to promote responsible use.
The company will be deploying a dedicated safety team, working 24×7, responsible for safety and sanitisation. Armed with hospital-grade disinfectants, they will help to keep the e-scooters and their helmets clean and germ-free.
Besides, the startup will also help move the e-scooters to the areas where they are needed by the commuters the most. Riders, who are over 18 and hold a full or provisional driving license, will be able to book and use the e-scooters through Neuron’s app.
Cost & features
Single trips will cost £1 to unlock the e-scooter and 18 pence per minute thereafter. More frequent users have the option to purchase Neuron Passes, a subscription service, available in three-day (about €16), weekly (about €24), or monthly (€39) options.
The packages will allow users to ride as many times as they want for up to 90 minutes per day for a fixed affordable price. This will result in no additional unlocking fees and savings of up to 90%.
Speed will be capped at 15.5 mph and they will share the same road space as bicycles including low-speed roads, cycleways, and tracks.
Riding rental e-scooters became legal on the UK’s roads on 4 July 2020. Currently, privately-owned electric scooters remain outlawed for use on public land in the UK.
Neuron was selected due to its strong track record of partnering with councils and because of their leadership when it comes to safety and innovation.
Some of the features offered by the e-scooter are:
- Geofencing technology to control where e-scooters are ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas
- An app-controlled helmet lock that secures a safety helmet to the e-scooters between trips to benefit safety-conscious riders
- A topple detection feature that can detect if an e-scooter has been left on its side which then alerts an operations team to reposition it safely
- A 999 emergency button which can tell if someone has had a fall and helps the rider call the emergency services
- Voice guidance to educate and warn riders
- A “Follow My Ride” feature that allows the rider’s friends and family to track an e-scooter trip in real-time for added safety and peace of mind.
Currently, the startup operates in eight locations in Australia and New Zealand including Brisbane, Darwin, Adelaide and Auckland, and soon Canberra.
Image credit: Neuron Mobility
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