Voi partners with the world-leading MaaS service Trafi

Managing traffic growth in urban areas is vital for achieving liveable cities and curtailing the environmental and social costs associated with private car use. Shared micro-mobility has proved to offer opportunities for reversing car-dependency in cities. Still, the reality is that micro-vehicles on their own might not be a viable alternative to the car in all situations.

The alternative to cars to achieve environmental and social goals is mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), understood as a single platform for shared mobility modes with public transport at its core. MaaS systems are only effective when they’re diverse and multimodal, which also implies that the opportunity for shared micro-mobility to replace car trips is leveraged when integrated with other modes of transport.

“As our service matures and becomes an integral part of an urban mobility landscape, we know we stand a better chance of replacing car and taxi trips if we help to implement the right partnerships and infrastructure”, said Voi’s CEO Fredrik Hjelm.

Voi’s partnership with Trafi is a step in this direction. While Voi is providing one of the strongest shared micro-mobility services worldwide, Trafi is a software-as-a-service leader powering the largest MaaS platform in the world and connecting multiple mobility services in one place, including public transportation.

The partnership implies that Voi’s micro-vehicles will be available for booking in all apps powered by Trafi in Berlin, Munich, Basel, Bern, Zurich and more cities to come.

“We chose to partner with Voi because we share a similar vision for the future of mobility in cities: one that is inclusive, multimodal and sustainable”, said Trafi’s CEO Martynas Gudonavičius. “We’re happy to be working with micro-mobility trailblazers Voi to turn that vision of creating climate-neutral, emission-free urban environments into a reality.”

The different mobility modes available in Trafi’s MaaS network enable people to access the modes of transport that are best suited and efficient for the distance and situation. Shared micro-mobility is best placed for shorter trips while also enhancing the accessibility with public transport by being an option for the first and last-mile trips.

“Micro-mobility is a vital component of every MaaS network that more and more users are gravitating towards using on a daily basis.”

“As cities run out of space and time to achieve sustainability targets, they’ll increasingly look to micro-mobility as one of most efficient ways of moving people around – in combination with public transport, of course”, said Martynas Gudonavičius. “Micro-mobility is a vital component of every MaaS network that more and more users are gravitating towards using on a daily basis.”

Voi’s user service indicates that e-scooters are already used as an alternative to car trips. In 2020, 14 % of the riders reported that they use e-scooters to replace car trips. Moreover, 63 % of Voi’s users report combining e-scooters with public transport.

“We partner with public transport authorities and local governments to champion MaaS integrations that improve multimodality and make alternatives to cars attractive”, said Fredrik Hjelm, adding that modal shift is not a static phenomenon and is set to grow as the service matures. “Between 2019 and 2020, we saw a 20% increase in car replacement rates.”

Globally, Voi collaborates with 30+ Public Transit Operators and MaaS Partners to advise and complement local mobility networks and enhance the accessibility of its service.