Zwings supporting Newcastle-under-Lyme community
Zwings – one of Britain’s leading e-scooter rental scheme operators – remains focused on protecting the health and safety of Newcastle-under-Lyme residents by working with Staffordshire County Council and Amey as part of the ADEPT Smart Places Live Labs programme SIMULATE, to provide a critical travel alternative for essential trips over the lockdown period by offering NHS and emergency service staff free travel.
The second lockdown has shown a clear demand for e-scooter rental schemes, with an increase in Zwings rental use in Newcastle-under-Lyme, attributed to the need for a socially distanced alternative and a growing awareness of sustainable travel choices.
With Zwings continuing to meet this growing demand and supporting the local community, it firmly believes the government will notice long-term behavioural changes, with e-scooters emerging as the primary mode of transportation for many short trips, for people across Newcastle-under-Lyme and the UK.
The operator has been working with the local authorities, NHS service providers and disability advocacy groups to garner an understanding of the unique needs of communities during this time and has introduced the following initiatives in Newcastle-under-Lyme:
● Unlimited free rides to NHS and emergency service staff (police and ambulance) until 2nd December. To sign-up, eligible workers have to submit a form via the Contact Us page on the Zwings’ website. They will then receive a unique code in an email response to input into the ‘My Fleets’ section in the app.
● Reduction in price to 10p a minute until 2021 for all riders. ● Increased sanitisation of e-scooters and application of state-of-the-art Shieldex self-cleansing copper handle grips which can render up to 99.98% of viruses and bacteria harmless.
● Introduction of more parking bays close to NHS facilities and major transit arteries, to
support key workers and residents who face limited transportation options when making
essential trips.
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport David Williams commented: “We are pleased to see that Zwings is offering free and discounted rides to NHS and emergency services employees to give them an alternative transport option in Newcastle. They do an invaluable job for communities across Staffordshire and it’s great to see support offered to them through the pandemic period.”
Joe Lewin, Zwings Founder and CEO said: “It is part of Zwings’ core ethos to support our communities in Newcastle-under-Lyme during this second lockdown in a hyper-localised manner. We recognise the important role our e-scooters play in supporting residents and key workers to travel at a social distance but also to help relieve stress from a hard day at work. We are collaborating closely with local representatives in each respective town or city to tailor our service to best support NHS and emergency workers.”
Successful micro-mobility initiatives start with trust and collaboration. Zwings uses in-depth knowledge, combined with innovative technologies to help build this foundation and ensure the responsible use of electric scooters in all partner cities across the UK.
(Main image Adam Pigott Spacesuit Media.)
