E-scooter hire company in Aylesbury concedes ‘no clear time’ for service fix

E-scooters run by Zipp Mobility were taken off the road in June due to an unforeseen issue. Almost two months later, the company has remained tight-lipped on what the issue is.

But a Zipp Mobility customer service agent told the LDRS (Local Democracy Reporting Service) there was a ‘big issue with the app’ and that there was ‘no clear time when it will be fixed’.

The Zipp e-scooter hire scheme was launched in Slough for a trial run on 28 May this year, but has been operating in selected Buckinghamshire towns since 2022. But the scooters have been ‘unavailable to hire’ since at least 24 June.

The issues have also put similar e-scooter hire schemes out of action in Buckinghamshire and Somerset. A statement from Somerset Council issued in July said the scheme there was halted ‘due to an unexpected supplier issue’.

Meanwhile Pembrokeshire Council runs a Zipp e-bike hire scheme in the towns of Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Goodwick and Tenby. But the link to the app needed to hire the e-bikes no longer works.

Pembrokeshire Council told the LDRS e-bikes are still available to hire for customers who already have the app and an update would be provided ‘within the next few days’. The authority said a new app could be found by searching for ‘Zipp app’ on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

But when the LDRS found and downloaded a Zipp app, a notification said the service would end on May 5, with a reduced service from April 19. And an agent on a Zipp customer service helpline said there had been a ‘big issue’ with the system that had been going on for ‘a few weeks’.

They said the company was ‘trying to fix it but there’s currently no clear time’. And they said even current users wouldn’t be able to hire an e-bike.

Charlie Wilson, UK country manager for Zipp Mobility, told the LDRS the issues affecting e-scooters and e-bikes were linked ‘but not the same’. He said company hoped to bring the scooters back ‘as quickly as possible’.

He said: “The issue affecting our scooters in Slough is still ongoing but we are working on a solution that will resume an e-scooter service in the area as quickly as possible. I should be able to update you on this in the next few days.

“The e-bike unavailability is related but not the same. As part of the ongoing issue, we have had to change some back end software for the scheme running in Pembrokeshire.”

Mr Wilson did not say more about what the problem was or how long it had been going on for. He has previously said the scheme was run ‘at no cost to Slough Council’.

Pembrokeshire Council has been contacted for further comment.

Head of transport for Buckinghamshire, Councillor Steve Broadbent previously said it was hoped that e-scooters would be back on the roads in Aylesbury and Wycombe, by late July, but no future forecasts have been made by authority officials.