Why Do Our Riders Think The Newcastle-under-Lyme Trial Is A Success?

Since the beginning of our operations in the UK, our goal has been to build a truly community-centric business. Zwings’ vision is to create long-lasting relationships with our local communities and continually adjust our services to meet their needs. To achieve this goal, we maintain close communication with our riders and ask for their constructive feedback regarding our services.

Our latest insight comes from our Newcastle-under-Lyme Riders

Our council partners and Zwings have been delighted by the success of our e-scooter trial in Newcastle-under-Lyme. In acknowledgement that it is a trial, we have purposefully worked closely with our network of riders and the wider community to understand the impact that e-scooters have had on the community. Without further ado, here are the top 3 insights we have gained from rider feedback in Newcastle:

 

1. People’s transportation needs have been improved as a result of the Zwings e-scooters appearance in Newcastle

Our top priority is to make sure that the service we provide has a positive impact on the community by offering a sustainable and affordable option of transportation.  According to our findings, 80% of our riders feel that their journey experience was enhanced when opting for our e-scooters over more polluting alternatives such as driving a private car. Among the benefits, the respondents have mentioned the shortened commute time, the affordability, and the “element of fun”.

Megan is one of our many riders who use the service for their daily commute. For Megan, the e-scooters have been transformative, offering a convenient, reliable and sustainable transport option – that also saves her time and money – where none existed before:

 

I started to use Zwings scooters to get me to and from work in the week day, due to wasting £80 a month on taxis it was costing me less than £10 a week on the scooters and they were a lot more fun than taxis. I also think they [are] a lot more handy as you don’t have to wait around for a scooter to arrive at your house and possibly end up late for work due to this. In my opinion, they are very helpful in a lot more ways than what I have stated and I think they are a brilliant idea and will save a lot of people on time and money.

Megan S.

Liam, one of our most frequent users, has found Zwings’ e-scooters extremely useful as a means of travelling safely and at a social distance during the Coronavirus pandemic. As he describes, the vehicles have also replaced more polluting car journeys:

 

Having to travel during covid without being able to drive would mean getting a taxi which would mean being enclosed in a car with someone else. Instead, I’ve been able to scoot which has made it far easier to travel around on my own.

Liam S.

Tom’s feedback on the service is concise but effusive:

 

They have cut my commute time in half to work, I love them.

Tom H.

2. Almost all of the riders like the presence of the rental e-scooters in their town and are satisfied with the service provided

As the first and only micro-mobility provider in Newcastle-under-Lyme, we have the privilege of introducing the aforementioned benefits to the community in a regulated and monitored manner. We still have room to continue to make minor adjustments over time, but stakeholders are seemingly pleased to see the satisfaction of our riders in the feedback we have received. The numbers speak for themselves:

  • 97% of respondents reported that they liked having the e-scooters in their town;
  • Zwings’ services have been rated ten stars by almost half of the respondents and received high scores from the majority;
  • We also asked riders to describe their Zwings experience in three words. A word cloud showing the most common selections is provided below:

Why Do Our Riders Think The Newcastle-under-Lyme Trial Is A  Success?

Danielle describes her experience of Zwings as one in which the benefits of convenience and sustainability come to the fore, as well as gesturing towards one of the less-heralded benefits of e-scooters – the boost travelling outdoors in this manner can have to mental health and wellbeing:

 

Was recently going through a hard time, got my nails done to cheer me up. Just as I was about to head home by taxi, I decided to hop on a scooter as there were a few parked right outside the salon. I was proud of myself as it was quite spontaneous for me and I hadn’t ridden one before… I felt free and happy. Will definitely ride one again. And best of all, it was cheaper than the cost of the taxi.

Danielle A.

Georgie and Shahir mention the benefit of e-scooters to the area’s many university students, who were previously reliant on more polluting, slower and/or expensive transport options to get to and from campus.

 

Tried out the Zwings on Keele campus as they were an exciting novelty! We found them simple to use and I can definitely see how they’d be a useful facility for people living, working or studying in Newcastle and Keele. They’re also a lot of fun! Will continue to recommend it to friends.

Georgie H.

 

 

In the summer when the weather is nice, being able to ride the Zwings scooters has created probably the best form of transport for short journeys. Being able to go from the Keele University Campus to Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre in a very simple manner helped me enjoy the summer after my university exams even more.

Shahir G.

3. Suggestions on how we can improve

The purpose of honest feedback is not only to measure the satisfaction of our customers but also to find the areas where we can learn, innovate and thereby improve our transport solution. Below you can find some of the most popular suggestions:

  • Extending our service times

“It would be good to be able to use the scooters between 5 am and 11 pm as I work rotating shifts starting at 6 am and finishing at 10 pm so am unable to use the scooters for half of my commutes,” – said Louis E.

“I’d like the scooters to be available a little earlier and later at night. I finish work at 10 pm and it means I can’t use the scooter to get home,” – added Daniella F.

  • Creating more parking bays

“More parking spots are needed and if possible a larger area. It’s inconvenient having to walk to get a scooter, park in a designated spot and then walk to your destination,” – commented Matthew P.

  • Facilitating peoples’ safety

Our survey shows that people are interested in safety, so we’re looking forward to meeting some more of our Newcastle riders at one of our upcoming safety workshops. Keep an eye out for more information on these!

Thanks for this feedback, everyone! We’ll work on it and try to make the necessary changes where possible.

Why your feedback is important: Insights from our Newcastle-under-Lyme riders

Zwings is on a path of continuous innovation. We aim to create the best customer experience possible and to improve the quality of people’s daily commutes. We plan to utilise the insight we have gained from our Newcastle-under-Lyme riders and stakeholders to further develop our service and to enhance the trial’s success on behalf of local authorities and DfT.

We will continue to stay in close communication with our riders, by making ourselves as contactable as possible, providing ample room for riders to submit feedback and make suggestions. If you want to stay up to date with our progress or send us a message about your experience with our e-scooters, please follow us on social media.

For any enquiries, please feel free to contact us via email at community@zwings.co.uk or by phone: 020 3882 0611. We also encourage everyone who sees any misuse to submit their reports by using the Zwings Reporting Form