Today Voi, a leading e-scooter operator, has taken another step forward in the UK’s e-scooter trials race. The startup has been selected as the exclusive e-scooter rental scheme provider for the West of England region, including Bristol and Bath, making it the UK’s number-one operator so far.
The 12-month West of England trial, which will roll out onto streets in October, is part of UK Government initiatives to encourage sustainability and a green recovery. Voi’s e-scooters can be used to support public transport and provide a new low-carbon transportation solution at a time of heightened social-distancing measures.
This is one of three exclusive tenders to be awarded to the Swedish e-scooter company in the UK. The West of England joins trials in the West Midlands, Cambridge, Northampton, and Peterborough. In just two months, Voi has become the UK’s number-one operator of rental e-scooters, with no other provider operating in more than three cities/towns.
Voi is working hand in hand with the West of England Combined Authority to transform the way residents travel and will be offering weekly and monthly passes, to make the cost of travelling by Voi e-scooters affordable to all income groups. In particular, there will be discounted passes for low-income individuals and for key workers.
As part of its service in the region, Voi will also provide a number of advantages, in a bid to make their offer stand out from the rest. This includes creating more than 60 FTE jobs, help local businesses offer delivery services, launch an online traffic school called #RideLikeVoila, provide safety pop-ups and helmets at special events, disinfect all e-scooters daily and continue the rollout of copper tape to e-scooter handlebars which inactivates 99.98% of coronavirus on contact.
Fredrik Hjelm, co-founder and CEO of Voi Technology, said: “Voi will soon becoming to Bristol and Bath, two marvelous British cities of great economic and cultural importance, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. The pandemic has created a major transportation problem that Voi is helping to solve. We need a climate- and COVID-friendly alternative to a car-led ‘recovery’. The viable alternative is an e-scooter rental scheme, which puts rider and public safety, as well as well as the climate, first.”
Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor, said: “I’m really pleased to announce Voi Technology Ltd as the operator for our e-scooter trials, which will provide a new, low carbon way to travel around the region. This is a real benefit for our region while social distancing is in place on public transport, but also it’s a great opportunity to understand the role that these might play in supporting our longer-term sustainable transport solutions.”
