The company behind Bristol’s e-scooter scheme is reviewing its customer service messaging after a driver who complained he had just nearly ran over a group of "joyriding" scooter riders in Bristol was told to "have an amazing day".
Richard Bartelot said he had to brake hard to avoid crashing into the Voi e-scooter users, who were captured on his dashcam as they travelled around a corner on Guthrie Road in Clifton on Saturday morning (February 12).
He contacted Voi to complain - pointing out the ID numbers on each scooter are hard to take a note of when they whizz past at speed - but was met with an automated response.
READ MORE: Love them or hate them - e-scooters are changing Bristol
Voi has said it had fully investigated Mr Bartelot’s experience - because the people who hired those e-scooters on Saturday morning were giving backies to their friends, which is strictly against the rules of the e-scooter hiring trial. And the e-scooter company said they had been banned.
Mr Bartelot shared the dashcam footage of the moment, at 11.27am on Saturday morning. He was driving his car along Guthrie Road when four people on two e-scooters came hurtling round the corner.
“Two e-scooters, each with two-up, turn right into Guthrie Road at speed and my car is forced to brake sharply,” he told Voi. “Video of front and rear view is also available. No ID is visible because it is impossible to read a sudden moving e-scooter, and Voi has not installed front-facing ID to make it easier.
“Joyriding Voi e-scooters like this - whether two-up, pavement riding, dangerous use, under age riding - is a daily occurrence in the Clifton area. We are noticing that local younger riders of bikes and illegal e-scooters increasingly seem to copy the irresponsible example set by older abusers of the Voi scheme.
"Voi does not appear to issue information about any sanctions that have been applied to abusers. Please let me know that action has been taken against these and other riders,” he asked the Sweden-based e-scooter hire company.
The company replied: “We greatly appreciate you taking the time to report this improper use of scooters. Your added layer of support helps us to achieve our goals to provide a safe and eco-friendly mode of transportation. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you see these rider behaviours again.
“Additionally, if you notice a scooter that was parked in the wrong place, please use the "Report a scooter" form which can be found here: https://www.voiscooters.com/report/uk/. Thanks again and I wish you an amazing day!”
But Mr Bartelot said he was not exactly happy with that response. It came exactly three hours later - suggesting it was automated. “I was not happy with Voi’s reply to my photo of e-scootering that completely goes against their own rules and probably highway law as well. Telling me to get lost with 'I wish you an amazing day!' – it seems like sarcasm rather than sensitivity,” he said.
Now he wants to raise awareness of the dangers of giving people backies on e-scooters. “The instability of pillion riding is truly frightening,” he added.
Read more: Bristol using e-scooters more than anywhere else in Europe
Today Voi thanked Mr Bartelot for his information, and the riders involved have been banned. “Voi’s number one priority is the safety of its riders, pedestrians, and other roads users,” a spokesperson said.
“We have safety information on our scooters, in-app messages, in-person safety events and our online driving school to educate riders of their responsibility to ride and act safely on the road and around others.
“Users who misuse our service are blocked temporarily or permanently, and we also work closely with the police, local council, and other stakeholders to help tackle anti-social behaviour,” she added.
“Tandem riding is dangerous and against the rules, so we would like to thank Mr Bartelot for reporting this behaviour via our customer service team. Our team used the information he has provided to quickly identify the riders and issue them with a ban.
“Following Mr Bartelot’s feedback, our customer service team is currently reviewing its messaging to customers,” she added.
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