Public hire e-scooters will be available in Oxford until at least 2026 after the government confirmed the UK’s e-scooter trial programme will continue.

Oxfordshire County Council has extended its contract with Voi until May 31, 2026, after the UK trial was formally extended to the same date.

Councillor Andrew Gant, cabinet member for transport management, said: "It is wonderful to announce our great relationship with Voi is continuing for a further two years.

"We are delighted to be able to offer people greener, more flexible alternatives to the private car for moving around our historic city."

Voi has been operating the e-scooter programme in Oxford since 2021.

There are now more than 850 e-scooters available for hire in the city and they have been used to travel more than a combined 2.5 million miles, which is the equivalent of more than 100 times around the world.

General manager for Voi UK, James Bolton, said: "We are thrilled at the prospect of operating in Oxford for a further two years.

"It’s been an amazing journey building up the scheme from a small beginning to where it is now.

"In the last three years we've seen increasing numbers of people benefit from using our e-scooters as a safe, affordable and sustainable way of travelling which doesn’t contribute to air pollution or clog up streets with traffic.”