At Zwings, we remain fully focused on the health and safety of the communities in which we live, work and operate and support critical resident needs in a safe, sustainable and socially-distant way.
Every community represents its own distinctive demands and challenges when it comes to transportation. With borders and businesses closed, travel limited, and millions of the UK citizens required to shelter in their homes, the personal and professional needs are becoming more obvious every moment. The global pandemic is clearly disconcerting, and it impacts all of us.
At Zwings, we continue being absolutely concerned about the safety and wellbeing of the communities we serve and support residents’ critical needs in a reliable, sustainable, and socially distant way. We work closely with local authorities and community leaders in each of our partner cities to establish the best action plan for this rapidly evolving situation.
“In Gloucestershire, keeping people safe throughout the Coronavirus pandemic is our priority, and we fully recognise front line key workers play a huge role in supporting our community. Zwings provides a way for our residents to travel around urban areas while staying apart, reducing congestion and emissions, and improving air quality at the same time. We have built a positive relationship with Zwings as they continue to rise to the challenges of introducing a new mode of transport in our area.”
Cllr Nigel Moor, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment at Gloucestershire County Council.
Zwings is committed to help cities get ready for the unique urban mobility needs that they will have to face in the days and weeks ahead:
- From now on, Zwings is offering unlimited free rides to NHS and emergency service staff (police and ambulance). This offer has been extended to 10th February. To sign-up, eligible workers have to submit a form via the Contact Us page on the Zwings’ website. They will then receive a unique code in an email response to input into the ‘My Fleets’ section in the app.
- The operator is sanitising e-scooters more often and are applying state-of-the-art Shieldex self-cleansing copper handle grips which can render up to 99.98% of viruses and bacteria harmless.
- The company has begun introducing more parking bays close to NHS facilities and major transit arteries, to support key workers and residents who face limited transportation options when making essential trips. However, they are mindful of the continued need to provide right of way to pedestrians, including the visually impaired. Zwings has been working very closely with groups representing the visually impaired to tailor their safety initiatives to most effectively educate riders and to enforce the rules.
“It is part of Zwings’ core ethos to support our communities during this second lockdown in a hyper localised manner. We recognise the important role our e-scooters play in supporting residents and key workers to travel at a social distance but also to help relieve stress from a hard day at work. Our evolving safety initiatives and close collaboration with local authorities, hospitals and disability groups will allow us to continue to enhance the success of our transport service across the UK.
We will continue to enhance our operations as we learn more about COVID-19 in line with government guidelines, and remain committed to providing each of our communities with reliable, safe and sustainable transportation during these unique times.”
Joe Lewin, Zwings Founder and CEO
Micromobility plays a critical role in moving people seamlessly through cities in a more socially distanced way, and as an individual form of transportation, scooters can help fill an integral transportation gap at this important time. Based on our current experience, we know that the need for individual mobility options increases with the flattening of the COVID-19 curve. Electric scooters can safely facilitate essential tasks like grocery shopping and medical appointments. Just being outside for some fresh air and hoovering up some valuable vitamin D is renowned for enriching our wellbeing. The mental health benefits of e-scooting do not stop there – just think of the stress of driving or sitting on public transport that you get to avoid.
“South Somerset District Council welcomes the news that we can continue the success of the Yeovil trial E Scooter scheme throughout this new lockdown, providing a green alternative to get around and allowing for social distancing. As well as providing a key service to the community to make essential journeys, this innovative scheme is a great opportunity to contribute to improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Yeovil. As we continue to deliver our environment strategy and move towards our goal to be carbon neutral by 2030, the success of Zwings’ scheme could potentially bring a 15% reduction in car use in Yeovil over the 12 month trial period.”
Cllr Sarah Dyke, SSDC’s Portfolio Holder for Environment Councillor
Successful micromobility initiatives start with trust and collaboration. Zwings uses in-depth knowledge, combined with disruptive technologies to help build this foundation and ensure the responsible use of electric scooters as they continue to establish their brand in towns and cities across the UK.