“Is that thing road legal?” scoffs the driver of a white van as I complete a careful loop of Hammersmith roundabout, to the sound of loud guffaws from his front-seat passenger.
I assure him it is, though honestly, you can see his point. The Yo-Go – a bright yellow electric buggy with two seats, one gear and no side panels – does not look entirely at home on one of the capital’s most notoriously congested junctions, squeezed between buses, delivery vans and construction lorries many times its size.
On my third or fourth circuit at the request of the Guardian’s photographer – of what I learn only later is Britain’s most dangerous roundabout – a sideways rain sets in and I realise I haven’t checked in advance which of the chunky switches is the windscreen wiper. My hands are freezing, my hair is flapping in my face and, I can’t deny, I’m thinking about my Ford Focus.
It’s a fun if slightly white-knuckle ride but here in west London members of Hammersmith and Fulham council think this could be the future of short-range urban travel. They are enthusiastically backing the rollout of the cheerful buggies across the borough in the hope that those residents who haven’t yet abandoned their cars for a rental bike might be tempted, on a dry day at least, to try a vehicle that looks more suited to a fairway than a four-lane gyratory.
Can it catch on? The explosion in urban pedal and electric bike rental might suggest so, with at least 40 such schemes now operating in Britain in cities from Aberdeen to Plymouth. But with the capital’s wealth of public transport options, on top of widespread docked cycles, ebikes and car-share provision, do Londoners really need another transport rental scheme? And does it have to look this … goofy?
Arguing in the green corner is Sam Bailey, an engineer and inventor whose approach, he says, is to “try to think of the next problem that we need to find a solution to”. Having made a success of products designed to identify plumbing leaks and alert elderly people to hob fires, he turned his attention to urban congestion and emissions.
In London, 70% of car journeys are shorter than 3 miles: school runs, trips to the shops, “people popping out and about”, says Bailey. “So the thinking was, could we replace that with something that would be cheaper and more efficient to make?” he adds. “And we realised it doesn’t necessarily need to be a complete new vehicle.”
Though modified with seatbelts and parking brakes to make it legal on UK roads, the Yo-Go is essentially the same buggy one might see driving around an airport or a holiday resort, he says. It’s intended to be “a vehicle that just makes the road feel more pleasant”.
The scheme has been launched in leafy Fulham because that’s where he lives – and because his existing relationship with the Labour-led, green-focused council has been key in getting it off the ground. Ten buggies have been available for public hire in Hammersmith and Fulham since September, with plans for 50 to be available before the end of the year. Booked and paid for via an app, they cost 20p a minute, though for insurance reasons drivers must be between 25 and 70. Crucially, the borough’s enthusiastic support means the buggies can be parked (head on) for free in any resident’s bay.
“We’re interested in the art of the possible,” says Stephen Cowan, the council leader. “What does the future look like? What will transport look like?” The council is exploring other Yo-Go applications, such as shuttle services for older or unwell people who might not need a car, but would be unable to walk or cycle. “So we like this. We think it’s a good project with lots of potential.”
How easily it can be introduced more widely is another question. Hammersmith and Fulham’s widespread 20mph zones – the Yo-Go’s top speed – minimise the scope for frustrated car drivers being held up by the buggies, but in boroughs with many faster roads it would be another story (Hammersmith Yo-Go drivers are “strongly recommended” not to take the A4 flyover). For that reason, instead of looking immediately at a wider London rollout, the company is considering cities such as Oxford and Bath for its next stage.
Likewise, with more than one child or a lot of shopping (there is a small boot which doesn’t yet lock) or on a very wet day, they wouldn’t quite work.
Still, they are a lot more fun than sitting in an Uber. “What do you make of these things?” I shout to the rider of a Lime ebike as we drive side by side towards Parsons Green. “They’re so cool,” he shouts with a grin. Then the cars and buses bunch ahead of me and I slow down, while he whizzes past on the inside.
