Voi records two million rides in 2021 as e-scooter trial continues across Liverpool

Voi’s commitment to safety sees significant improvement in ‘good apples’ as 9 in ten riders are parking properly, helping its citywide ambition to connect more of Liverpool and tackle air pollution.

Voi, Europe’s largest e-scooter operator, has increasingly become an important part of daily life as the city approaches nearly two million e-scooter rides, with one in four people in Liverpool having ridden an e-scooter.

The company has so far helped reduce pollution and congestion by replacing over 800,000 short car journeys and saving an estimated 430 tonnes of CO2. emissions over the last year.

Key to the city’s success, and encouraging more people to leave their cars behind, has been Voi’s investment in parking. Over the last year, Voi has installed more than 200 painted bays in carefully selected parking spots across the city centre. Combined with Voi’s innovative in-app Parking Photo feature, these measures have resulted in a massive improvement in parking compliance. In other words, Liverpudlians are being ‘good apples’.

Even as ridership has rapidly grown over the last year, Voi’s prioritising the safety of riders, pedestrians and other road users has meant nine in 10 rides end with e-scooters being parked safely and securely and, therefore, not blocking people’s way or creating unnecessary street clutter.

Delivering measures that successfully enable better parking is an important part of making the transition from car-centric to decarbonised cities. As highlighted in the 2021 International Transport Forum Report, there is a direct link between implementing both physical racks and painted bays with improvements in parking behaviour, particularly if placed in areas where people regularly begin or end their trips.

Jack Samler, General Manager at Voi UK and Ireland, said:

“Voi has become an important part of city life for the people of Liverpool with nearly two million rides over the last year, as more and more people adopt e-scooters for getting around the city.

“Tackling air pollution from transport, the most polluting sector in the UK, requires offering more people the opportunity to access sustainable, affordable and convenient modes of transport, like e-scooters or e-bikes. This means offering more opportunities for parking, creating more connections across the whole city where people can complement first and last-mile e-scooter journeys with public transport.

“As society comes together to fight the climate crisis, we are determined to continue to work with the people of Liverpool, the Combined Authority and City Council and other stakeholders to make Liverpool a cleaner and better city to live in.”

Liam Robinson, Transport portfolio holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:

“The e-scooter trial in Liverpool has proven very popular and successful with more than two million rides taken so far. Research also suggests that many of these have been replacing car journeys, helping reduce congestion and cut harmful emissions in the city, which is vital as we pursue our ambition for the city region to become net-zero by 2040.

“The Combined Authority, and our partners at Liverpool City Council, have worked closely with Voi throughout the trial to improve the scheme and respond to concerns raised, introducing successful new measures like mandatory parking bays and Slow and No Riding Zones to improve safety.

“With the trial continuing this year, we look forward to further exploring how e-scooters could become a more permanent part of the sustainable, London-style transport network the Metro Mayor is building in the Liverpool City Region.”

Picture – Denis Barinov / Shutterstock.com

The introduction of new measures, innovations and infrastructure is also a critical part of Voi’s determination to help reduce air pollution and congestion across the city. Voi currently serves 80% of Liverpool; however, its vision to include more people and destinations outside of the centre with a safe, convenient and sustainable alternative mode of transport, will encourage more cars to be left at home and create better cities for living.

Find out more about Voi Scooters here.