News / Transport
Increased prices add to e-scooter rental woes
E-scooter woes in Bristol continue as the new operators of the rental service have increased per-minute prices by more than a third.
A ride that would previously cost 16p per minute now costs riders 22p per minute; a rise of 37.5 per cent.
A spokesperson from Dott said that “exploring new price options” was part of their agenda to ensure “the service is both affordable and sustainable”.
is needed now More than ever
Tier scooters have recently been rebranded to Dott – photo: Martin Booth
The Dott spokesperson said: “In this pricing adjustment, we want to promote Dott Pro pass which makes the service more affordable for regular users. With this pass, each ride can cost you less than a single bus ticket.
“This simple, fixed pricing makes it easy for users to know how much they will be charged before their trip, removing any unexpected surprises from pay-per-minute fees.
“And by charging per trip rather than per minute, riders are encouraged to travel safely, instead of rushing their journey to save costs.”
TIER-Dott has stopped their long-term rentals – photo: Karen Johnson
For the past few weeks, many Bristol24/7 readers have been sharing their grievances with the new e-scooter operator.
One user, who broke his hip after an accident while riding the scooter said: “I was trying to contact Tier about the accident, I dealt with their insurance team, but I tried to follow up about the safety of their long term rental scooters and the education about safety when riding their scooters.
“I had 0 response back when emailing about this.”
Dott merged with TIER in the beginning of September, which was also when they decided to pause their long-term rental scheme.
A pause in long-term rental meant issuing refunds to people who took part in this scheme. But people have shared poor experiences in this area too.
A user wrote to Bristol24/7: “I put my scooter outside straight away and after nothing, it got taken at the start of September. I then got an email asking for me to return my scooter, which was already done so I replied and was told it was an error they confirmed they had my scooter and I’d be refunded in a few days.
“Since then, nothing. This was over two weeks ago. I am currently unemployed and was relying on the scooter to get me to and from interviews as bus travel is so expensive.
“I’ve emailed over twenty times and gotten absolutely nothing back. I’ve forwarded my invoice and all the info and they’re totally silent.
“I live out in Emersons Green so the 150 ‘free’ rides (they pre-charge your card £2 which I don’t have as I am well and truly skint) are next to useless as they’re limited to 20 minutes and run out in another two weeks.”
Sharing his disappointment on X on Wednesday, Green councillor for Knowle, Toby Wells, said: “As of this morning, @Dott scooters have silently increased in price by 37.5 per cent from 16p/min to 22p/min. What’s going on @WestofEnglandCA? I was told pricing was part of the contract with the provider?”
A review of the TIER-Dott’s contract by the West of England Combined Authority could lead to their contract being scrapped.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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