Cities reap the economic benefits of shared e-scooters

E-scooters are enhancing people’s lives as this report shows these vehicles are not fads but an important utility mobilising economic growth and improving the lives of many.

The e-scooter industry’s first-of-a-kind independent socio-economic report, carried out by economic experts Volterra Partners and commissioned by Voi, reveals the positive impact micromobility is having on people’s lives, the local economy, and as well, of course, in helping cities tackle the climate crisis.

In total, accounting for the benefits such as improving the environment, creating more high street spend and reducing road maintenance costs, our e-scooter schemes have provided a £53 million benefit across all our UK trial areas in 2022 alone, according to Volterra’s economic analysis.

Rental e-scooters have been legally available for use on UK roads for just over two years, yet their impact has been profound. Indeed, ever since the Covid-19 pandemic our shared e-scooters have been liberating people from their cars – all without the financial support of local councils or the government – as ridership heads north of 19 million, saving 7.5m car journeys from our cities’ congested roads.

Volterra’s independent analysis shows e-scooters are stimulating social and employment connections, be that from homes to the high streets, or workplaces to green spaces. Specifically in the food and beverage industry, the findings suggest that if our e-scooter trials were made permanent, the economic impact of increased consumer expenditure could be a huge £1.2 billion over the long-term appraisal period.

Thanks to the availability of well-considered parking locations and the high convenience and flexibility of our service, this amounts to more than £100 million being put back into local economies over the four-year e-scooter trial period and the support of up to 1,400 valuable jobs annually. Incredibly, the robust analysis did not account for future growth in our schemes, signifying the opportunity for so much more potential.

The positive impact isn’t just being felt by food and drink establishments. Given the flexibility of our service, riders are naturally gravitating towards the nearest convenient place for shopping and other activities using a Voi. As the study shows, our service drives more people to spend their money in local shops and businesses, away from out-of-town retail parks and online shops. It’s estimated that nearly £10 million has been redistributed to the high street in 2022 alone.

By the end of this year (2022), riders will have spent an estimated £37 million at high street shops in total – a significant shift in these tough economic times.

Flexibility and safety are the cornerstones of our operations in the UK. Combined with our focus on technology and education, e-scooters are now a key part of the public transport network. Trusted by thousands of people every day to get them to where they need to be as our e-scooter schemes are having a significant impact on accessibility to employment. Nearly 1 in 3 riders have swapped traveling by car with e-scooter journeys for their daily commute.

Enhancing accessibility by having access to e-scooters is also helping create social equity. A quarter of all Voi rides end in areas of deprivation, showing a clear case as to why city-wide expansions or even extending operating hours is important in helping those people on low incomes access a mode of transport that suits their needs. More to this point, wonderfully, the study found that our service now sees an estimated 3,000 active riders every month hop on and explore places that they previously didn’t because of their disability.

Our rental scheme has become a trusted part of the transport landscape in the UK, and in many cases, an important part of the city’s fabric as well as people’s lives. This independent report shows decision-makers and other stakeholders that rental e-scooter – even at their current scale – should be in their arsenal in helping create cities made for living.

The report can be downloaded here: https://voi.inkadev.net/en/publications/other/ or click on the image below.