E-scooters are reducing congestion and pollution in cities, new study shows

London, 15 June 2023: E-scooters can provide significant benefits in terms of congestion, time savings, emissions reduction and cutting car use, according to new research conducted by University College London (UCL) researchers. 

The study - which used data taken from 190,000 e-scooters trips in Bristol over a three-month period - found the adoption of e-scooters reduced greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45% overall compared to the trips they replaced, according to the study.

Researchers also found that e-scooters drastically cut commuting times, especially during peak hours, helping to save users a total of 4,000 hours during the course of the study.

In addition, e-scooter trips replaced over 30,000 miles of motorised transport journeys, helping to reduce pollution and congestion in the city.

This latest study, by researchers from the Energy Institute at UCL, is one of the first academic studies into e-scooter use that incorporates a first hand environmental assessment of the service and uses real world trip data -  and also takes into account emissions created from the factory floor to end of life for e-scooters.

Using data from e-scooter trials run by UK’s leading shared e-scooter company, Voi, the study analysed over 190,000 e-scooter trips taken in Bristol over a three-month period in 2021 to examine VOI e-scooters’  environmental impact of and included emissions for the whole life cycle of different types of transport, from manufacture to end of life disposal.

The results show that trips which were replaced with e-scooters resulted in an overall reduction in carbon emissions of up to 45%. 

The types of e-scooter trips analysed included not only those that replaced motorised transport such as cars, buses and taxis, which see a much bigger reduction in emissions, but walking and cycling too, which create a small increase in emissions, resulting in an overall reduction of 45%

The study found that emissions savings are positive in scenarios with average or long vehicle lifespan (over 6,500 km) and with average or better operational efficiency. Voi has invested in both areas to minimise its footprint and maximise environmental benefits for cities and communities. 

Reducing car dependency and decarbonising urban transport is seen as a vital step in achieving the UK government’s goal of achieving net zero and improving the well-being and efficiency of cities. 

In addition, congestion has a significant economic burden, costing the UK economy around £6.9 billion a year according to a 2019 INRIX study.

One of the study’s authors, Emmanouil Chaniotakis, writes, “Essentially, the findings suggest that shared e-scooters have the potential to provide significant benefits in terms of mode shift, congestion, time savings and emissions reduction if implemented effectively. 

“By replacing trips previously taken by more polluting modes of transportation, shared e-scooters can reduce emissions and congestion during peak periods.

“Local governments should make sure that they invest in those shared e-scooter programmes which are well-regulated and show proof of good fleet management and maintenance, leading to high kilometre lifespan, responsible end-of-life practices and efficient operations.

“Local governments should also introduce and monitor compliance regarding operations, use, manufacturing and end-of-life practices. To see a greater impact, they could also work with e-scooter companies to incentivise more effective use (e.g. reduced fares over peak hours or demand-informed deployment that complements Public Transport and supports active travel) to reduce congestion and emissions”

Jack Samler, Voi general manager UK, Ireland and France, said, “It’s great to see the massive impact e-scooters can have in transforming cities, reducing emissions and cleaning up the air around us. 

“At Voi, we have invested in building durable e-scooters and ensuring they provide as many rides as possible to reduce their impact throughout their whole life cycle. We are committed to managing our operations as efficiently and sustainably as possible.

“We aim to transform how people move in cities, freeing us from car dependency  and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, working all the time to reduce the environmental impact of our value chain and operations in the process.” 

Transport is the highest emitting sector accounting for more than 31% of all territorial CO₂ emissions in the UK (BEIS, 2021) equating to over 100 million tonnes in 2021, while in urban areas, trips by cars and taxis are the largest contributors to these emissions accounting for 68% of total transport emissions.

The study was commissioned by shared e-scooter company Voi but was independent and not influenced by Voi.

More information about Voi’s commitment to sustainability can be found at www.voi.com/sustainability/

The study can be found at www.voi.com/blog/modal-shift/

Ends

Notes to editors

*To calculate e-scooter emissions, UCL researchers were provided with raw data and independent reports, based on which a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed, taking into account manufacturing and end of life disposal emissions, as well as a comparison of the emissions by different modes, based on completed trips and stated substitution mode (by participants of a large scale in-app survey performed by Voi). To compare with alternative modes UCL-C used the conversion factors as published by the International Transport Forum (Cazzola & Crist, 2020).

The emissions impacts are calculated by finding the difference between the emissions from e-scooter trips and the emissions from its new or replaced trip.  

For further information, please contact: 

Juliette Maxam, Senior PR manager, Voi UK, Ireland and France

juliette.maxam@voiapp.io

About Voi 

Founded in 2018, Voi is a Swedish micromobility company offering e-scooter and e-bike sharing in partnership with towns, cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our towns and cities in the future. We want to ensure that the micromobility transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with towns, cities and governments and by adapting our products to local needs. Voi’s holistic Environmental Action Plan tackles emissions and promotes renewable energy use and circularity along its supply chain. 

Voi operates in over 100 towns and cities across 11 countries. It is headquartered in Stockholm and employs 1,000 people. To date, Voi boasts more than seven million riders and has served more than 150+ million rides.