Oxford's e-scooter trial extended until end of March

Oxford's e-scooter trial has been extended until the end of next March to further monitor their impact.

Oxfordshire County Council's trial of Voi e-scooters had been due to end on Tuesday.

The authority said 118,000 trips had been made - replacing an estimated 40,000 car journeys - since they were introduced in February.

Similar schemes have been launched in 15 other towns and cities in England, including Liverpool, Bath and Bristol.

The council said the trial's extension would "ensure that people who rely on e-scooters" to travel around the city could still use them.

Tim Bearder, the council's cabinet member for highways management, said: "These e-scooters are a genuinely useful and low-carbon mode of transport to make short journeys.

"As a county council, we are committed to addressing climate change and transport innovation is a key part of that.

"With the extension of the trial, many more residents can now benefit from a convenient, green, low-cost alternative to cars."

The trial is being led by Swedish-based company Voi Technology.

The e-scooters can only be used by adults, who use an app to unlock them. They cost £1 to unlock and 20p per minute to ride.

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