The mystery of what’s happened to an e-scooter/ebike hire scheme has deepened after the company’s app has disappeared from online stores with ‘no clear time when it will be fixed’.

Pembrokeshire County Council runs a Zipp e-bike hire scheme in the towns of Tenby, Haverfordwest, Fishguard and Goodwick - but the link to the app needed to hire the e-bikes no longer works.

Zipp Mobility and Pembrokeshire Council have been contacted for further comment, with a response given from PCC as follows: “Officers have confirmed that the E-Bike scheme in Pembrokeshire is still up and running.

“We are aware that there has been an issue on the Zipp application and that an update will be provided to new and existing users regarding the app in the next few days; existing users are still able to utilise the app to book e-bikes. 

“The new Zipp app can be downloaded from the Play Store and/or Apple Store, online (please look for Zipp app  and not zipp mobility app),” continued the spokesperson for PCC.

“As Pembrokeshire Council only utilises e-bikes, we cannot comment on the operational element of the e-scooters managed by Zipp.

“It has been confirmed that the app still works for users in Pembrokeshire with the old app already downloaded.”

Meanwhile, e-scooters run by Zipp Mobility were taken off the road in June just a month after a Slough Borough Council-backed trial hire scheme began due to an unforeseen issue. Almost two months later, the company has remained tight-lipped on what the issue is.

But a Zipp Mobility customer service agent told the LDRS there was a ‘big issue with the app’ and that there was ‘no clear time when it will be fixed’.

The Zipp e-scooter hire scheme was launched in Slough for a trial run on May 28 this year. But the scooters have been ‘unavailable to hire’ since at least June 24.

The issues have also put similar e-scooter hire schemes out of action in Buckinghamshire and Somerset.

A statement from Somerset Council issued in July said the scheme there was halted ‘due to an unexpected supplier issue’.

Charlie Wilson, UK country manager for Zipp Mobility, told the LDRS the issues affecting e-scooters and e-bikes were linked ‘but not the same’.

He said the company hoped to bring the scooters back ‘as quickly as possible’.

He said: “The issue affecting our scooters in Slough is still ongoing but we are working on a solution that will resume an e-scooter service in the area as quickly as possible. I should be able to update you on this in the next few days.

“The e-bike unavailability is related but not the same. As part of the ongoing issue, we have had to change some back end software for the scheme running in Pembrokeshire.”

Mr Wilson did not say more about what the problem was or how long it had been going on for. He has previously said the scheme was run ‘at no cost to Slough Council’.