Voi launches in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and expands strategic partnership with German FREE NOW

As of this week Voi’s shared e-scooters are available in three additional German cities: Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Cologne! 

In April 2020, Voi was the first sharing provider to integrate with FREE NOW’s leading MaaS platform. We are very proud to announce that we have expanded our strategic partnership with the German mobility platform to include all three new cities: Our scooters are also bookable via the FREE NOW app as part of their multimodal offer, where you can plan, book and pay for all different transport modes in one single app.

 

Voi Scooter in Cologne. Picture: Patrick Meurer

 

Over the past two years e-scooters have become an integral part of the urban landscape in Germany. People are increasingly incorporating them into their daily commutes, and despite pandemic-related curfews, colder weather and a sharp decline in tourism, demand for shared micromobility continues to grow fast

“Findings from our first two years in Germany have shown that the local market offers great potential for us,” explains Claus Unterkircher, General Manager DACH. “That’s why we have devised a concept that is ideal for meeting this demand in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt.” 

 

Voi Scooter in Frankfurt. Picture: Janis Nath

 

The key points of this approach are high availability and service area coverage, especially in outlying districts and peripheral areas. Through our new long-period subscription models (12, 6 and 3 months) our riders can take more rides for one euro per day at a flat rate. This way we want to make micromobility available for everyone – regardless of income. 

Ideally, the nearest Voi scooter should be no more than a minute away when the app is opened. One part of what helped us achieve this are our swappable batteries. “Since the scooters no longer have to be collected for charging, we can work much more efficiently and sustainably,” Unterkircher explains.

A data-driven route optimization tool was developed for the logistics behind the battery swapping and re-parking operations that minimizes the fleet teams’ travel times. The software also determines where collected e-scooters – for example, those that are parked in a way that  obstructs traffic – need to be deployed to be ready for the next potential customer. “Simply putting lots of scooters in the city center is the wrong strategy here,” explains Unterkircher. “We focus on operating our fleet efficiently, making sure our e-scooters are located where they are used the most. This is a concept that has lead to Voi having the highest amount of trips per vehicle per day in Germany.” 

 

Voi Scooters in Düsseldorf. Picture: Patrick Meurer

 

Alexander Mönch, FREE NOW’s General Manager Germany and Austria, explains: “With Voi we have a strong micromobility partner at our side whose e-scooters can now also be booked via our app in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and even Cologne. We are very pleased to announce that we have expanded the partnership and can now offer our users another sustainable service for the last mile. We have been present on the market in all three cities for many years. Our mobility services are used by more than one million customers. Together with Voi, we want to reach new target groups and further expand our services so that even more people can get around the cities without their own cars.”