BERYL brought its e-Scooters to Ryde on Wednesday as one of a series of taster sessions to allow people around the Island to experience the electric transportation for free.

People were invited to trial the scooters in Ryde Town Square throughout the day, with goody bags and discounted minutes also available

Among those to take Beryl up on its offer were Jules and Heath Monaghan, with the former trying them for the first time.

Jules said: "I registered quite a few weeks ago and have been saying 'I need to try', but have been a bit nervous.

"I was keen to have a go in a safe environment."

Heath, who has already taken the scooters on-road, believes they will be a positive asset for the Island.

He said: "I did a couple of short journeys to begin with, and then a long one from Ryde to Newport. It stopped me from using the car and was really good fun.

"I'd advise people to give it a go, stay on the roads and avoid going onto paths. It's a really helpful way to get from A to B."

To date, 32,000 journeys have been taken by 6,000 individual riders in Newport, Ryde and Cowes. 

The ongoing expansion will increase the fleet across the Island with an additional 25 e-Scooters, and comes seven months after the scheme launched in November last year. 

The micro-mobility provider is bringing taster sessions to Jubilee Square, Shanklin and the Esplanade, Sandown on Tuesday and Wednesday (July 13 and 14).

Beryl chief executive, Philip Ellis, said: "Since we launched last year, thousands of people have used the e-scooters. We were proud to also offer NHS workers free rides during the coronavirus pandemic and discounted rides to those on the Kickstart Scheme."

Read more: Beryl and Job Centre offering discount travel as part of Kickstart Scheme

More information is available online at beryl.cc