Beryl, the company which has been running an e-scooter trial on the Isle of Wight since November 2020, have today (Friday) launched new in-person training sessions.
The initiative is part of the Scoot Happy Tour which aims to sharpen e-scooter skills, boost riders’ confidence and reinforce the importance of responsible riding. Particularly useful given the Isle of Wight Police’s findings last summer of some shocking usage.
One or two-hour courses
From Friday 1st April, sessions will take the form of either Skills Sessions – a two-hour course run by Bikeability instructors – or Tryouts – a one hour session with Beryl staff split into theory and practical lessons.
Details and locations, as well as instructions on how to sign up to the events, which will be held on weekends, can be found on Eventbrite (link to go live from 9am Friday).
Online training
In conjunction with Norfolk County Council, Beryl have launched the Scoot Happy Website, which includes a quick start guide as well as a 15-minute course designed to teach users how to ride beryl e-scooters safely.
Funded by the MOBI-MIX project, the online course focuses on users’ roadcraft skills and their ability and awareness when sharing road space with others, including pedestrians and vulnerable road users. Participants can even claim free minutes on completion of the guide (30 minutes) and the course (60 minutes).
Beryl CEO, Phil Ellis, said,
“We believe that safety is paramount, and we put it at the forefront of everything that we do, whether that’s designing schemes, working with local authorities, developing products or helping our users.
“Our Scoot Happy Tour offers a variety of fun and engaging ways for people to boost their safety skills, whether that’s a quick online refresher or a more in-depth personal session with an expert tutor.
“We know that fears over safety can inhibit people from taking up micromobility schemes, so by helping to boost confidence and awareness, we can hopefully help remove some of the barriers.
“By doing this and inspiring more people to take up sustainable travel options, we can help reduce road congestion and improve air quality and public health.”
Eligibility
During the trial periods, e-scooter riders are required to provide a valid UK Driving Licence to participate.
They are also asked to provide feedback on their experiences using the vehicles to support data learnings on operating the service.
Where e-scooters can be used
Beryl e-scooters can be used on roads, cycle lanes, carriageways and other areas where cycling is permitted but not on pavements.
Every Beryl e-scooter is DfT approved, ensuring it meets the highest safety standards. Beryl has and will continue to consult with key organisations as the trial progresses.
Read more about where you can and can’t use e-scooters.
How to use
To begin a trip with a Beryl e-scooter, users just need to follow the simple in-app directions to unlock the vehicle for use. At the end of their ride, users must lock the scooter via the app and will hear a chime from the scooter to register that it is locked.
Beryl e-scooters available to hire are visible both on-street and in the app, with Beryl Bays and operating zones also shown in the app.
