Electric bikes (e-bikes) and electric scooters (e-scooters) are now available to hire in Southall, giving residents more travel options across the borough, say Ealing Council.

Following a successful launch of the scheme in Ealing and Acton town centres, the scheme has been extended to Southall.

The expansion is part of Ealing Council's plan to boost cycling in the borough and promote more active travel options for residents.

In April this year, the council approved a planned investment of £28million to improve its roads, streets, and pavements.

Part of that investment will fund improvements to cycle lanes, bike stands and bike hangars.

Meanwhile, £1million is also planned to be spent on delivering the next phase of the Uxbridge Road cycle lane, to encourage and support safe active travel.

As part of the expansion in Southall, new marked bays have been installed, making it easier and clearer for riders to return their vehicles.

Riders must use a payment card via one of the two operators' apps to rent a vehicle and will not be logged out of the system unless it is returned to a marked bay.

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E-bikes provided by Lime start from 23p per minute and a 30-minute ride pass costs £4, while e-scooters, provided by Voi, cost £1 to unlock the e-scooter, with charges of 15p – 20p per minute afterward.

Councillor Paul Driscoll on the new e-bikes in Southall (credit: Ealing Council).

There will be marked bays available for people to park on, so the e-bikes and e-scooters are left in a safe and suitable place for the next users.

Over the next 4 to 6 months, more marked bays will be installed across Southall and Hanwell as well allowing the e-bikes and e-scooters to travel into Northolt and Greenford.

At the moment, Ealing and Acton town centres currently have virtual bays, which are unmarked bays which are only visible via the operator's apps. By 2026 these will be replaced by marked bays.

Council leader Peter Mason said: "Our investment of £28million for active travel demonstrates we are upholding our commitment to tackling climate change, by providing more residents with affordable travel alternatives instead of cars which pollute our neighbourhoods.

"The micromobility scheme has proved to be popular in other areas of the borough and now residents in Southall will benefit from having low-cost travel and help to reduce their impact on the environment."

Councillor Paul Driscoll, the council's new cabinet member for climate action, said: "The expansion of the micromobility scheme to Southall will provide more people with access to environmentally friendly methods of travel."

"Our new marked bay system will encourage people to return e-bikes and e-scooters to proper allocated areas and help pedestrians by reducing clutter on our roads and pavements."

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