Certain counties in the UK have suddenly found themselves submerged beneath a tidal wave of electric scooters. Electric scooter hire company, Voi have introduced a micro-mobility rental system into many towns and cities throughout England.
They charge a fixed base £1 to unlock the scooter and then a variable rate per minute depending on the time of day, availability and location. This electric scooter scheme was considered a big step forward in sustainable urban mobility, but like every electric scooter scheme across the globe, the UK is not exempt from the common problems and the mentality of the British is not comparable to our European neighbours.
Voi
Within five days of its introduction, Voi has announced that they have been forced to suspend their hire services in Coventry due to the misuse of their vehicles. There has been reports of riders weaving in and out of traffic and swapping between the road and pavement in an erratic way. Voi said the primary cause was “Britain’s antisocial behaviour issue” with Voi's general manager commenting “We haven't seen this level of antisocial behaviour in any other market”
Voi hit the UK streets, pavements, roads, streets, alleys (and wherever else they fit) on 3 September and users have taken over 45,000 rides and travelled more than 98,000km.
In response to this suspension, Voi are now looking to implement to new set of rules and ideas:
Double Voi ambassadors out on the streets and help reinforce rate safety, monitor activity and respond to questions.
Further collaboration between local police forces and ambassadors to combat problems and issues faster. They are currently in discussions how to increase enforcement activity, paid for by Voi.
Find more ways to separate pedestrians and riders; Voi are revising the no-ride and slow-ride zones.
Attempt to improve their geofencing, which is a GPS technology that creates virtual boundaries.
Number plates are soon to be introduced, to help the public report unsafe and inappropriate riding.
Improve riding education by giving incentives to those who complete training courses.
Helmet giveaways: They are not compulsory but Voi have already given hundreds away.
Voi
Is the UK the correct market for electric scooter hire systems? Are they even a good idea in the first place? Dockless rental systems have caused chaos across the globe with California having to impose a strict policy on them due to them being left in piles on the sidewalk, completely blocking off access to pedestrians. A criticism of the hire systems is the he cheap hire rate and the lack of personal ownership encourages more reckless behaviour. Perhaps a more nuanced view on personal ownership and legislation would be the more appropriate route?
URBAN ELECTRO has a selection of electric scooter that we deem of a higher quality to rental scooters. Unlike many drop-shipping scooter companies we can ensure your warranty as we have our own dedicated repair workshop.