A guide to riding Voi e-scooters in the winter

We’re committed to ensuring the safety of our riders and other road users. Although you can ride Voi e-scooters year-round in most of our cities, you should take extra precautions when scooting during the winter months. We’ve outlined our operational plans and safety tips for the colder temperatures and snowy weather.

The safest fleet on the streets


We were founded in Stockholm in 2018, and we take pride in our Scandinavian DNA. We have gained valuable experience operating our service during the Nordic winter for two previous seasons.

Our latest e-scooter model, the Voiager 3X, is our safest scooter yet and is well equipped for winter riding. It’s mechanical drum brakes provide a smoother deceleration, helping to prevent skidding on icy road surfaces.

We proactively maintain our fleet all year long, and during the winter, we take additional measures to make sure every scooter on the road meets our exacting safety standards. This extensive checklist includes ensuring that lights and reflectors are intact, brakes are tightened, and each scooter’s suspension is working perfectly. Any scooter that does not meet these benchmarks will be taken off the streets to be repaired or replaced.

Educating users about safety


Throughout the winter, we educate our users on safe road behaviour via social media, email communications, and in-app messaging.

Our top 3 tips for riding safely in winter:

1. Wear protective gear – Always wear a helmet to keep your head safe. Put on reflective clothing so other road users can see you in the dark or when visibility is compromised. (For more tips on riding safely in the dark, read our blog post.)
2. Steer slowly – Decrease your speed so you can easily control your scooter. Do not make abrupt turns, especially on slippery surfaces. Did you know that users can choose to lower your scooter’s maximum speed with our beginner’s mode in the Voi app? Head to your profile settings and tap “beginner” to activate a slower pace.
3. Mind the road surface – Pay extra attention to where you are riding. If you encounter icy or wet areas, get off the Voi and walk until the ground is clean, dry, and clear.

Decreasing operational zones in select cities
In select Voi cities, we slightly decrease our operational zones during the winter months. Decreasing the zones where users can ride is a part of our commitment to our users’ safety. We have spent the past two winters monitoring and mapping out which roads are most affected by temperature drops, icy surfaces, and snowy weather, and we have altered services accordingly.

We decrease operations during the winter in places where:

• roads and bike lanes might not be as well maintained;
• there is a higher risk for accidents; and
• demand for our service is lower.

Users and subscribers are alerted well in advance of any changes to the operational zones in their respective cities. Remember to always check if your end destination is within the Voi operational zone before you start your ride. If you have questions about winter operating zones, please contact [email protected].

Wintry weather?


When the weather outside is particularly frightful, we temporarily put our scooters in sleep mode, making them unavailable to rent. We might also decide to remove the scooters from the streets until the weather improves. Our local teams work proactively with city administrators and snow removal companies to best adjust daily operations during heavy snowfall and other inclement weather.