Staff and visitors to the Royal United Hospitals Bath can now leave the car at home thanks to a new e-scooter service.

The RUH is part of a trial zone for Voi e-scooters to help people get to and from the Combe Park site.

By downloading the Voi app, anyone can hire an e-scooter from sites across the city to travel to and from the hospital, and around Bath with no noise or pollution.

Sustainable travel coordinator for the hospital, Cris Fletcher said: “There has already been a lot of interest from staff and NHS workers are currently eligible for a 100 per cent discount on some deals.

“We expect the scooters to be popular with visitors to the hospital too.”

Jack Spence, who is the estate maintenance worker team leader said the e-scooters made travelling sustainable and a lot more enjoyable.

The scooters can be unlocked for £1 and cost 14p per minute to hire – there are also subscriptions available and discounted passes for key workers, students and those on low incomes.

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Dr Chris Meehan said: “I signed up to the long-term rental scheme, which costs me £35 a month. I went for the long-term option because there was no guarantee of a scooter near my house in the morning.

"The big advantage of long-term rental scooters is that they can be taken outside of the normal Voi zone that standard rental scooters can.”

A spokesman for the RUH said: “Voi has plans to situate a number of scooters next to bike stands outside of the RNHRD and Brownsword Therapies Centre, but for the time being staff and visitors are asked to park responsibly by using the app to find the nearest designated parking bay.”

To ride a Voi E-Scooter, a user must have a provisional driving licence and be at least 18 years of age.