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Voi is celebrating the first anniversary of launching in the West of England by announcing that its trial has been extended until March 2022.
Delivered in partnership with Voi, the West of England Combined Authority and the regional councils, the scheme has proven to be popular and successful. The Combined Authority has now approved an extension to the e-scooter trial until March 2022 in Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire.
“It has been such an exciting last 12 months working with West of England Combined Authority and the region’s city councils, contributing to their transformation into cleaner, greener, and more environmentally-friendly places to live,” said Jack Samler, general manager at Voi UK and Ireland. “The West of England has shown incredible demand for sustainable transport options. As we announce the extension today, ridership has reached two and a half million and is one of Europe’s largest and most successful areas of e-scooter operations.
“We are delighted to have been given more time to build on our success so far. We will continue to listen to users, the local community, and key stakeholders – such as disability and visually-impaired groups – to ensure micromobility can work for everyone. This trial extension will be invaluable, and can only help to strengthen an already truly collaborative partnership. We look forward to continuing our mission in Bath, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire to transform our cities for the better.”
Voi has worked closely with the Combined Authority, the local police and councils throughout the trial to innovate and improve safety for riders, pedestrians and vulnerable road users, including the introduction of the ‘End Ride Photo’ feature to incentivise good parking, as well as the addition of a ‘Report a Voi webpage.
Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: “E-scooters are a great way to travel around the city and they are proving popular in Bristol and our wider region. It is particularly important that we are providing another low-emission alternative to short car journeys, alongside our ongoing improvements to bus, walking and cycling journeys across the city and plans for a mass transit system.”
South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure, councillor Steve Reade, said: “I’m pleased to see the West of England e-scooter scheme being extended. Many people living in South Gloucestershire have been making use of this new sustainable mode of transport for work and leisure purposes over recent months.
“It can take time to adapt to innovative technologies and new initiatives and we are keen to work with WECA and Voi to ensure the trial is a success and e-scooters, which are contributing positively to our climate change ambitions, are given that chance to become a credible alternative to car travel in the region.”
