The Mayor of Wexford said he's already getting complaints about an e-scooter trial in the town.

The electronic scooters were launched last week by mobility company Bolt as part of an expansion of its e-bike scheme.

Last year, it introduced shared e-bikes to Wexford and says "thousands of unique users" are taking trips each month.

Wexford Mayor George Lawlor told Sarah Madden for Newstalk Breakfast he's already receiving complaints about the scooters.

"I have been receiving a number of complaints already about the scooters," he said.

"People weaving in and out of traffic, more than one person on them, people clearly under-18 using them.

"Within the last 18 months Bolt have initiated a terrific electric bike scheme here in Wexford.

"That was most welcome, people are calling for an extension of the e-bike scheme."

Mayor Lawlor said the local council had reservations about the e-scooter element.

"I know at the time that we were seeing the Bolt electric bikes being rolled out the local authority members made it clear that we didn't particularly want the scooters as part of the deal," he said.

"I did express my concerns at the launch that the scooter may become problematic.

"This is a trial period so we'll see how it goes - time will tell whether they're successful, safe and whether they're appreciated by the public".

Bolt e-scooters. Image: Bolt

Bolt Head of Public Policy for Ireland Aisling Dunne said they have safety features built in.

"Obviously the shared ones that we roll out into towns and cities are very tightly-controlled using the mini computer on them," she said.

"20km/h is the absolute max [speed] and we also have flexibility to reduce that speed down for different reasons.

"We also have controls around cognitive reactions - making sure people aren't using them at night who've been consuming intoxicants.

"We can detect if a second person is on the scooter which is something that you can't detect when it's a privately-owned scooter".

What do people think?

People on the streets of Wexford seem divided on the scheme.

"It's brilliant absolutely, because people need it and that's it," one woman said.

"E-bikes are OK but the scooters are a mistake," a man said. "People go fast them, they're unstable.

"I don't know how they're going to police the age [limit] on it - it's an accident waiting to happen," he added.

Another woman said it's good to have the option as "buses aren't always as frequent as people need them to be".

"Any form of transport that keeps cars out of city and town centres is good," another suggested.

Another man said people should "use your body and get the exercise" instead.

A tourist said they would welcome the e-scooter option.

"It means you don't have to get taxis or anything like that," he said. "It lets you see more and see it quicker".

The new trial means Wexford is the only place in Ireland where people can hire e-scooters or e-bikes in one app and use them on public roads.

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