Slough Borough Council is pleased to announce that Voi Technology, a leading European e-scooter operator, will be taking over the town's e-scooter scheme, which was previously run by Zipp Mobility.

Starting from 10 December, Voi will assume full responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the e-scooter scheme which was launched by Zipp mobility in June and will run until May 2026. This will initially include 120 e-scooters.

All elements of the Zipp scheme, including designated parking bays, safety commitments and availability will be retained. This transition marks a continued commitment to sustainable transport in Slough.

This change of operator comes following an unsolvable issue affecting the entire Zipp e-scooter UK fleet. Since this issue first emerged in July, Zipp, Voi and Slough Borough Council have been working hard to minimise down-time and disruption to continue to provide the sustainable and efficient transport option that e-scooter hire offers.

Councillor Paul Kelly, lead member for housing, highways, planning and transport, said: “The issues with Zipp Mobility were outside of our control, which meant the e-scooter scheme was temporarily out of action. Now we have transitioned to Voi, we are confident residents can use the e-scooters for journeys across town to travel in a more sustainable way.

“The sign-up process is simple, and the app displays real-time availability of e-scooters in your area and provides essential safety rules and guidelines for riding.

“For anyone using the e-scooters, we ask that they return them to any designated return points, are mindful of other residents and road users and do not ride e-scooters on the pavements.”

To begin using the e-scooters, you need to be 18 and over, and provide the required evidence of a driver’s licence.

Zipp users have been notified of how to download the Voi app and start using the e-scooters, allowing them to continue enjoying the convenience of e-scooters without interruption.

Voi e-scooters will be appearing on the streets and available for hire from 10 December.

The standard launch pricing rate is 49p to unlock an e-scooter and then 18p for each minute of your journey. Voi also offers daily and monthly passes for regular users.

The e-scooters have a top speed of 15.5mph, in compliance with government regulations. Though no helmets come with the e-scooters, riders are encouraged to wear their own.

The Voi team will regularly monitor for any misuse of the e-scooters and will be ensuring they are not left in inappropriate places, as well as re-distributing them among the hire locations.

While rental e-scooters that are part of the Government trial can be used on public roads, some cycle lanes, and other public spaces, it is not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters. That means if you use one in public, you risk it being seized. You can ride them on private land, such as in a garden, but only if you have the permission of the landowner to do so.

If you see someone using an e-scooter in a dangerous way, take a note of the e-scooter’s number plate and the time and report to Voi on the app or email support@voi.com