Neuron Triples Sunderland's e-scooter riding area after a successful first 12 months

● From today safety-first e-scooter company, Neuron is tripling Sunderland's e-scooter riding area

● Expanding into surrounding areas including the Stadium of Light, Sunderland Riverside and Sunderland Royal Hospital; while also connecting the city centre into Pallion, Hendon and Ashbrooke

● Expansion will make e-scooters more accessible to locals including medical staff working at the Royal Hospital and those living in key student accommodation

● During the first 12 months, Neuron's e-scooters have been embraced by riders in Sunderland with an impressive 110,000 miles travelled since March 2021, supporting the City Council's sustainability goals and eliminating around 10 tonnes of CO2

● 95% of riders believe the company has made a positive impact in the city, an impressive 32% of all trips have replaced a car journey, with 65% of all rides resulting in a purchase

Leading e-scooter operator Neuron Mobility and Sunderland City Council have announced that the distinctive orange e-scooters will be available to ride across more areas in the city, from today, Thursday 07 April. The expansion comes after a successful 12 months in the city and trebles the size of the current zone which will cover a further 6.2 square kilometres of riding area.

The expanded riding area means residents will be able to travel from Sunderland City Centre to surrounding areas into Pallion, Hendon and Ashbrooke. It will also provide access to popular destinations including the Stadium of Light and Sunderland Riverside.

Neuron's e-scooters will now better serve a variety of groups including medical professionals employed at the Royal Hospital and those living in key student accommodation in the city. The new riding area will also cover many local businesses, adding an additional convenient and sustainable travel option for the city's residents.

The expansion comes as Neuron celebrates a year of operating in Sunderland. Their e-scooters have been embraced as an alternative way of getting to work and travelling around Sunderland, with 95% of riders believing they have made a positive impact on the city. In the last year, the e-scooters have racked up 110,000 miles with around a third of trips replacing a car journey.

This has resulted in the elimination of around 10 tonnes of CO2 which supports the council's sustainability goals.

The e-scooters have supported the local community both throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the city recovers. Neuron has issued over 1,600 free passes for NHS and Emergency Service staff in the North East of England, allowing key workers to make around 14,000 free rides across Sunderland and Newcastle.

The e-scooters are also helping boost the local economy with an impressive 65% of all rides in Sunderland having resulted in a purchase at a local business. As the trial reaches new areas, Neuron and the council will continue to use geofencing technology to control where the escooters can and can't be ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas by creating slow-zones, no-ride zones and no-parking zones

Oliver Irons, Sunderland City Manager at Neuron Mobility said: "After a successful twelvemonth trial period, we are delighted that our e-scooters will be serving more areas and people in Sunderland. Our e-scooters have become very popular and they are making a positive impact on the city. They are a safe, convenient and environmentally-friendly transport option which support the City Council's sustainability goals. We thank the Council for their continued trust and support and look forward to more people using our e-scooters.

Safety is our top priority, it dictates our e-scooter design and also the way we operate them. Our e-scooters are packed with cutting-edge safety features and our safety course and riding guidelines have been co-developed with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the UK's leading accident prevention charity."

Mark Jackson, the City Council's Assistant Director of Infrastructure, Planning and Transportation said: "Sunderland's e-scooter trial has become an important part of how residents can travel around our city. It is great that so many people have taken the opportunity to use Neuron's e-scooters over the past twelve months.

The e-scooters are about providing a convenient way to make short journeys, helping reduce congestion and improve air quality. We have our ongoing partnership work with Neuron and we look forward to seeing the benefits of e-scooters continuing to be felt and recognised by residents and businesses across the city."

The new riding area will include over 28 additional parking stations which will be highlighted in the app and also marked on the ground for visibility. In order to help riders use the e-scooters safely and responsibly, Neuron's Safety Ambassadors will be out in greater numbers in the new areas to ensure riders are aware of the safe riding rules. These include no riding on pavements, no riding under the influence of alcohol or other substances and the recommended use of the provided safety helmets when riding.

Neuron's eye-catching N3 e-scooter has been specifically designed to be the market leader in safety. The e-scooter is packed with a number of safety innovations including the world's first app-controlled helmet lock which secures a helmet to every e-scooter, voice guidance to educate and warn riders of how to travel safely, and a 999 emergency button which can tell if someone has had a fall.

Please note, failure to adhere to the rules may result in Police prosecution as well as points on, or a loss of a rider's driving licence altogether.

Should anyone see any rider breaking these rules, please report the exact time, location and licence plate number to our 24/7 customer service centre.