3 years of Voi: Launching Day of Micromobility to celebrate the movement to replace cars with sustainable transport
Aug 25, 2021
Today marks three years since we launched our service in Sweden’s capital Stockholm. To celebrate the progress made to transform how people move around in their cities, we are claiming 25 August as the Day of Micromobility. In addition, Voi pledges to publish a yearly index of the top cities across Europe that are replacing cars with sustainable micromobility transport.
Since launching operations in Europe three years ago, over 60 million trips have been taken on Voi’s bright coral e-scooters and e-bikes across 70+ cities in 11 countries. Voi riders have enabled European cities to replace over 8.4 million car trips and cities to collectively save over 1,680 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide emissions (Co2e). The CO2 reduction is estimated by Voi’s Climate Change Calculator developed with and verified by transport researchers at UCL’s MaaSLab.
Countries such as the UK, Sweden and Denmark have embraced micromobility and are leading the way in transitioning from relying on polluting cars. On average across all cities, car replacement rates have increased 36% from 2019 to 2021. This indicates that as shared micro-mobility becomes a reliable piece of the mobility mix, e-scooters can increasingly replace cars.
Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and co-founder of Voi, said:
“We launched Voi with the aim to transform transport and encourage people to leave behind their cars in favour of sustainable, carbon-neutral transport like scooters and bikes. Since then, we’ve helped millions of people make environmentally-friendly choices in their daily lives with e-scooters and e-bikes. But the need to make our cities more liveable places is more urgent than ever as we have seen from the extremely hot temperatures in Europe this summer and wildfires in some places. By working closely with cities and local communities, we can encourage people everywhere to embrace micromobility that fits into their lives. We will continue to press the case for this at Voi and I look forward to seeing the progress we’ll make over the next 12 months.”
As part of Micromobility Day on 25 August 2021, Voi users will be able to access three 15-minute rides at the cost of the unlock fee (€1)*. The voucher can be activated from the email address registered to a user’s account. Riders are encouraged to share pictures of their micro-mobility trip on the day on social media with the hashtag #micromobilityday21.
Yearly car-replacement index
Voi is committed to making cities more sustainable and liveable in the 21st Century and believes micromobility is part of the solution to make this happen. As part of Micromobility Day, Voi is pledging to publish a yearly index of the cities across Europe that are replacing cars with sustainable micromobility transport. Whilst gains have been made so far, it’s important to continue to advocate for ways to improve cities for the better.
Voi’s model focuses on working in tandem with services to create a holistic alternative to car travel in cities. One way is through collaborating with other transport modes such as improving access to public transport and promoting active modes such as walking and cycling. A recent pilot integration by Stuttgart’s rail operator S-Bahn Stuttgart saw at least a 35% increase in rail tickets purchased by Voi users terminating at the Bad Cannstatt station, compared to the rest of the city. As well, the number of last-mile Voi trips increased by more than 250% at the same station after parking racks were installed.
Voi’s commitment to the 15-Minute City
In addition, Voi pledged earlier this year to help cities embrace the 15-Minute City model. This urban development concept, created by Professor Carlos Moreno, proposes that everything should be accessible for citizens within a 15-minute walk, scooter or bike ride.
By reversing car dependency and minimising the need for long-distance travel, the 15-minute city model can transform cities from stressful, polluted places into vibrant places to live and work where everything you need can be reached within a quarter of an hour. Voi is also actively engaging with cities and local governments to continue the discussion about life post-coronavirus and how micromobility can be another option for cleaner and safer travel as the world continues healing from the pandemic.
Further reading about Voi’s commitment to the 15-Minute City here.
