Ms Victoria Springthorpe:

I echo the comments made earlier. We all agree, as an industry, that engagement and training are vital to e-scooters being successful. Regarding the training aspect, as a company we undertake that technologically and in person. Every rider who signs up to the app in Ireland will be told the rules of the road and will then undergo safety quizzes and be requested to take safety pledges, which will be pushed out to them every two to three rides. Additionally, we invest around 100 hours in in-person community engagement and training in every city in which we launch to help the public to get used to the vehicle. We appreciate that it is a new mode of transport in Ireland, and one that not many people have experienced unless they have been to other markets on holiday. Therefore, we ensure that we have that in-person element in every town pre-launch.

As I mentioned, we also have a partnership with the Irish School of Excellence to deliver training for those aged 16 to 18 in schools. We typically find that age group is the most problematic in respect of riders. We are focusing that aspect on educating those aged 16 to 18 in respect of how to use an e-scooter properly and how to park compliantly.

There are many different parking options with e-scooters so we must ensure they understand every option in detail, including how to dismount a scooter properly. You need things like geofencing, electric throttle and training for younger age groups so that when they reach 18 or whatever the age limit will be, they will be fully educated by that time. To reiterate, we think education is the most vital piece of getting this right in Ireland.