One million miles on Voi e-scooters in Oxford in first two years of serving the city

Voi e-scooters in Oxford: Credit Voi

Oxford 3 March 2023: The first two years of public e-scooter trials in Oxford have seen people in the city make nearly 670,000 journeys on e-scooters covering one million miles.

Oxford now has a fleet of 750 Voi e-scooters which are available 24/7 - two years after the e-scooter trial started in February 2021 with just 25 scooters operating between 6am and 10pm.

In the last two years, public hire e-scooters have become an important  addition to transport in the city, expanding from operating in a small area from central Headington to St Clements, to a larger area stretching from Blackbird Leys to north Oxford.

Just under 57,000 people are now signed up to Voi in Oxford, using e-scooters to commute to work and college.

A recent survey by Voi among riders in Oxford found that 66.5% of users were employed full-time while 14.5% were students.

The survey found that most people use e-scooters for journeys of up to 15 minutes and like the public hire e-scooters because they’re easy to use, enjoyable, affordable, and promote more sustainable transport options.

In the past year, there has been a 39% increase of people using e-scooters to travel around the city – in particular more rides this year have started in Cowley, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys due to expanded parking zones in and around these areas.

Oxfordshire County Council and Voi have been working collaboratively to address the costs of living by encouraging those on low income to take advantage of a 50% discount to ride Voi e-scooters.

Those eligible for the Voi 4 All discount include people with a valid HC2 certificate, Employment and Support Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support or Universal Credit.

Last year Voi pledged four of its long-term rental e-scooters to the Oxford City Angels project, which supports women’s safety through patrols and engagement overnight from 10pm on Saturday to 4am on Sunday every weekend.

Oxford City Angels volunteers can use the e-scooters to provide help to vulnerable people, covering a large area quickly and economically.

An independent socio economic impact report commissioned by Voi last October forecast that the e-scooter scheme in Oxford could boost High Street spending by £10.5 million over the course of the trial period. 

Jack Samler, regional general manager for Voi UK, Ireland and France, said: “Our Oxford e-scooter trial has grown in popularity, with more and more people choosing to use scooters for short trips to work, for socialising, to go to the shops or appointments and to get to university.

“In partnership with Oxfordshire County Council we’ve expanded and extended the scheme so more people can use scooters across a wider area 24 hours a day, providing a new easy-to-use and affordable means of transport.”

Councillor Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Highways Management at Oxfordshire County Council said: “Ensuring Oxford’s transport offering is joined-up, sustainable and climate responsible is crucial. The positive uptake of the public hire e-scooters shows how effectively they fit with the wider strategy to improve how we move around the city.”  

An Oxford City Angels director said: Supporting the safety and security of women during a night out is Oxford City Angels primary function. Having access and use of  Voi scooters offers us the ability to expand and patrol areas of the city we simply would not be able to do on foot. We are delighted and extremely grateful that Voi has chosen to support our organisation and such a worthy cause.”

Credit: Voi

Ends

Notes to editors

Link to socio economic impact report: https://corporate.voi.com/en/publications/other/

For further information, please contact: 

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

juliette.maxam@voiapp.io

Telephone: +44 07966 370151

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 125+ million rides.