The recent news that the Department for Transport has opened the door to allowing e-scooter trials to launch in new areas is an exciting development.
At Voi, we have been delivering safe, sustainable and affordable shared micromobility in UK towns and cities since 2020. In that time, we have been responsible for almost 40 million e-scooter journeys here - around two thirds of the total number of trips that have taken place as part of the national e-scooter trials. We have learnt a lot along the way, and this blog shares our top three tips for city stakeholders considering launching their own e-scooter trial.
1. Seek a partnership with a responsible operator who puts safety first
Towns and cities must have confidence that the safety of both e-scooter riders and pedestrians is an operator's number one priority. Responsible operators have learnt lessons from the first four years of e-scooter trials, and continue to implement improvements when it comes to safety.
At Voi, our 'Safety Taskforce' develops new market-leading tech, which helps prevent poor parking and ensure vehicles are only used where allowed. We also think it is important that riders are informed about traffic rules, safe riding tips and how to park without obstructing pedestrians. That's why we've just relaunched our digital learning platform, RideSafe Academy, and incentivise new and experienced riders to participate. Safety should never be a 'checkbox' exercise.
2. Be collaborative, transparent and flexible
Close collaboration helps to ensure e-scooter schemes meet the needs of the local community, and is the order of the day. Partner with an operator that values not only a strong relationship with councillors and local authority officers, but also other stakeholders like charities, disability groups, local employers and police.
Local authorities must also be flexible to allow adjustments to be made to their e-scooter trial based on real-time data and community feedback. Next, it is vital to be transparent with the public about trial objectives, performance metrics, and decision-making processes. Combined, this encourages community buy-in and helps address concerns proactively.
3. Draw on both the experience of operators and best practices from elsewhere
Economic turbulence, high operating costs and the absence of positive regulation have forced other operators to suddenly pull their e-scooters from UK streets. As the leading European e-scooter operator, we know better than most what conditions are needed to ensure a financially viable service which involves the operator shouldering most-if-not-all of the risk. Forward-thinking local authorities award sufficiently long contracts and avoid revenue share requirements to give operators the ability to continually invest in vehicles, a local warehouse, and fleet management teams.
If towns and cities are serious about wanting to change the way people travel, they must also strongly consider facilitating the best possible user experience. The most successful schemes have enough parking spots so people have options on where to park, aren't being overly restrictive with geofencing (no-ride and slow zones), and provide the opportunity for as many people to ride as possible by following DfT guidelines of allowing users aged 16 and over (with a provisional licence) and for e-scooters to operate 24/7 to support night and shift workers.
It's important that towns and cities pick the operator best suited to their area and communities. Councils can make informed decisions after witnessing operations first-hand. We encourage councillors and officers preparing for procurement to visit different micromobility schemes across the country to see the investment operators like Voi make in our team, vehicles and best-in-class health and safety measures. Come and visit us!
From large cities like London, Liverpool and Southampton to smaller towns like Northampton, Kettering and Cheltenham, Voi's e-scooters have already replaced millions of car journeys. It is fantastic rental e-scooters can now be a tool in the arsenal of even more towns and cities working to achieve net-zero. We hope these insights will help local authorities as they consider next steps, and we're eager to keep the conversation going to create successful e-scooter schemes.
