E-scooters, buses on demand and Enterprise Car Club vehicles are just some of the innovative transport projects being looked at to reduce personal car use under a two-year trial at the University of Warwick.

The Future Transport Showcase will involve a number of new projects aiming to reduce private vehicle usage, cut carbon emissions and create a safer, more environmentally friendly campus. Transport for West Midlands has teamed up with the University of Warwick on the two-year trial.

The West Midlands is home to the £22 million Future Transport Zone, set up to harness the latest technology and data to design and develop accessible and connected transport alternatives that are faster, cleaner and greener – contributing to achieving the #WM2041 ambition to reduce the region’s carbon footprint.

Throughout the two-year trial, participants will be encouraged to change their transport choices and incentives offered for people who choose greener travel as part of the “choose your way Warwick” campaign hosted on the Betterpoints App.

The trial will look at how the use of new transport solutions like e-scooters, a car club and a demand responsive bus service can affect travel behaviour and replace traditional car use in and around the University campus area.

The showcase projects include: 

• Voi Technology, the UK’s leading e-scooter operator, is bringing carbon neutral e-scooters to the University of Warwick campus as part of a pilot research project to help inform Government e-scooter legislation in the UK and research into micro-mobility.  The e-scooter trial will begin on campus and rolled out to cover a wider area from March.
• Membership of Enterprise Car Club with access to two low emission Hyundai Ioniq cars, for use by staff, students and the local community. The vehicles can be booked for anything from half an hour to a full day. As well as the two car club vehicles, members can also use any of the car club’s 1,400 vehicles around the UK and access the wide range of vehicles from Enterprise’s daily rental fleet.
• Later in the year, a demand responsive bus service will be introduced to encourage the use of public transport by being able to order a bus in a similar way to a taxi. The convenience of the DRT will make it easier for the local community, staff and students to use public transport where a traditional bus service may not be appropriate.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said:

“From the outset of the industrial revolution, the West Midlands has always been a hub of innovation and we are still leading the way with the development of green battery technology, new low-carbon housing, 5G digital connectivity, autonomous vehicles and the transport systems of the future.

“The Future Transport Showcase at the University of Warwick will offer students and staff more flexibility, choice, and greener travel solutions for the region, at a time when we are facing a climate emergency and urging people to leave the car at home. 

The future transport scheme is being set up using the Transport for West Midlands award of £22 million in funding from the Department for Transport for a Future Transport Zone across the West Midlands.  

A Future Transport Zone seeks to explore and evaluate a number of different transport initiatives that improve the lifestyles of residents and visitors by providing greater choice and flexibility. This could be through new modes of transport, an increase in “green” and active travel solutions or by improving the public transport offering to make it seamless and attractive compared to the car. 

Following the two-year trial, the mobility showcase results will help to find the best solutions that work for our residents in reducing their carbon footprint and help them make more informed and environmentally friendly transport choices while contributing towards achieving the region's #WM2041 net zero-carbon ambitions.