Voi are also intending to introduce electric bikes to complement electric scooters as an option for longer journeys.
Voi, the micro-mobility operator focusing on electric scooters, is now adding electric bikes into certain areas of the UK. The initial areas include Cambridge, Kettering and Peterborough. These bikes will cost £1 to unlock and £0.15 per minute of usage. Voi are making these bikes available for free to NHS and emergency services workers.
Voi electric scooter
James Palmer, the Mayor of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire commented that “the coming weeks are going to be challenging for key workers“ and that they are pleased to be offering free public transport to emergency workers. The Mayor further added that the “e-bikes will help key workers go further where it’s needed.”
20 electric bikes will be provided to each region and will be parked next to the electric scooters. The electric bikes will have to follow the same geographical and parking restrictions as the scooters. The bikes, like the scooters, will be limited to 15.5mph to stay in line with the current UK legislation. The bikes have to stated to have a range of 31 miles, which is actually quite short compared to many electric bikes on the market, but the Voi team are said to ensure they are always filled topped up by swapping them out overnight.
The bikes will also be fitted with number plates to make them identifiable and easy to report. The scooter plates are only going to be micro number plates so really only identifiable when parked. A definite improvement to stop disruptive parking but perhaps more could be done to report unruly and dangerous riders.
The Regional General UK Manager Richard Corbett, comments that electric bikes would be the perfect additional to the shared electric scooter hire team and could potentially bring dramatic transformation.
The Voi shared scooter scheme as received varying reports from across the UK, with some counties suspending the scheme within weeks due to unsociable behaviour and safety concerns, with others praising the scheme for bringing affordable transports to the masses.