Zwings to end e-scooter rental scheme in Sunderland due to vandalism

Zwings regrets to announce its exit from the City of Sunderland, operations will reduce from 19 April, and end 05 May. This difficult decision has been made after a series of incidents of vandalism that have occurred in the past couple of months in Sunderland.

Zwings recently won the tender to operate the e-scooter trial in Sunderland, offering an affordable and environmentally friendly transportation option to the local community. Unfortunately, vandalism has been higher than expected resulting in significant financial losses for the operator and has put the safety of its riders at risk.

"We are deeply disappointed to be leaving Sunderland. The City Council has shown great support for our e-scooter service throughout. I would like to thank Sunderland City Council for their support and input for the re-launch of the e-scooter trial. Sadly, we are unable to bear the costs of vandalism and operate a financially sustainable operation," said Stephen Bee, COO at Zwings.

 

"We will be communicating fully to our riders and will be reimbursing any outstanding passes or credits. This will not affect our operations in any other UK cities, which will continue as normal."

Zwings would like to thank our riders who used the service in Sunderland for their support and understanding during this challenging time. We remain committed to providing affordable and sustainable transportation options to communities across the UK and will continue to work with local authorities to ensure the safety and security of our riders.

Zwings will work with Sunderland City Council to ensure a smooth transition for customers and residents.

Sunderland City Council Statement, Executive Director of City Development, Peter McIntyre:

"It's regrettable that a minority of people have been unable to respect or treat e-scooters correctly and so they have spoilt this opportunity to continue the service.

We would like to thank Zwings for their work this year and we respect their decision.

As a council we remain very much committed to introducing and ensuring there's new and more sustainable low-carbon travel choices for all residents and visitors to our city.

And, we will continue to explore other options in terms of e-scooters as this mode of sustainable travel develops on a national basis."

Short profiles on Zwings and ZEUS Scooters

Zwings was founded in 2019 as a community first micromobility operator. The company currently operates e-scooter rental services in Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Yeovil. In August 2022 it was acquired by Zeus Scooters. Zeus Scooters wants to make an active contribution to the sustainable transport revolution. The Irish provider specialises in the rental of e-scooters in small & medium-sized cities. Zeus Scooters is currently represented in over 40 cities across Germany and has expanded across Europe and Asia this year.