THEY have been a familiar sight in Chester streets over the past three years, but Ginger e-scooters have come to a halt in the city.

The company behind the pioneering electronic scooter trial, Ginger, has taken the decision to suspend operations in the city until further notice.

Deputy leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council Karen Shore said she was "saddened" by the news, which had seen more than 180 e-scooters available for hire across the city since December 21, 2020.

It was part of the Department for Transport’s micro-mobility e-scooter rental trial, introduced to gather evidence and inform government policy, and Chester had 47 dockless parking locations for people to pick up and drop off e-scooters, using the Ginger Shared Transport app.

Cllr Shore, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, said: "The council is saddened to hear of the removal of Ginger scooters from Chester streets for the many users of this trail-blazing technology in our city provided through the trial hire scheme.

"The trial has supported the Council’s Climate Emergency Response Plan. It has provided a ‘green’ restart of local travel with the aim of mitigating the impact of reduced public transport capacity that came about during the height of the pandemic, providing a sustainable mode of transport around the city and reducing short, single-occupancy car journeys.

"We are in discussions and awaiting further information about the decision.

"The council’s approach is pioneering and we’ll continue to progress with our many sustainable transport options for Chester and the rest of the borough.

"We are committed to affordable and sustainable transport and will continue to make great headway, keeping our residents and visitors connected to the places they need to get to."

Paul Hodgins, Chief Executive of Ginger, said this may not yet be the end of their e-scooters in the city.

He said: “We are reviewing our operations and trying to find a way to come back to Chester, which has been a great place for e-scooters, proving the future of local transport in small efficient vehicles, not big cars.

"We have greatly appreciated the support of the Council, who have been fantastic partners.

"They are doing a lot of innovative things in green transport and are working hard on enabling future transport for all residents. We encourage you to continue to support those efforts.

"And finally, we'd like to thank our amazing local team who kept the fleet running safely and efficiently”.