Stockholm is clamping down on e-scooter "chaos" as lawmakers force operators to reduce their fleet across the city by half. Each company has been restricted to a certain number within that allowance, meaning Voi has had to reduce the number of its scooters in the city by over 75 per cent.
The Swedish company is facing a backlash from cities in Europe that had not previously imposed stringent regulations on e-scooter rentals, with cities including Paris imposing much stricter rules as the impact of the rentals become known. Meanwhile, the future of the e-scooter trial in Bristol and the West of England remains uncertain.
A Voi spokesperson said the situation is different in the UK as e-scooter use here is already "highly regulated". However, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has not responded to questions from Bristol Live over the past month about the future of e-scooters in the region, with the clock ticking until the Voi trial in the Bristol region is due to end next month.
READ MORE: Bristol and Bath e-scooter trial - everything you need to know
In Stockholm, eight operators run e-scooters in the city, including Voi, and lawmakers said that the maximum number that could be on the city's streets from February 1 must be halved from around 23,000 to 12,000, shared between the operators. This restricts each operator to 1,500 machines.
Voi said in the summer of 2020 that it had 6,209 scooters in Stockholm, so it was forced to cut the total number of scooters in the city by more than 75 per cent. Stockholm Vice Mayor for Traffic Daniel Helldén said that the situation in the city had become "too chaotic" and that residents of Stockholm "couldn't accept the disorder".
A spokesperson for Voi, Kristina Hunter Nilsson, told Politico at the time that the company would "muddle through", acknowledging that Stockholm is their "home turf" and that it was very important that locals were happy with them.
In Bristol and the West of England, the future of the Voi e-scooter trial remains unclear as WECA decides whether or not it should continue. A spokesperson told Bristol Live that the aim of the trial is to inform government legislation on the future of e-scooters, but did not provide an indication of whether or not the trial list likely to continue beyond next month.
However, Voi has a high-profile supporter in Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees who appeared in a video for the company describing the e-scooters trial in glowing terms: “It’s exciting, it’s dynamic, it’s open - it’s incredibly convenient”.
Voi says that 3,400,000 e-scooter rides have been taken in Bristol as of Monday (February 14), with 5,780,000 miles ridden, 740 tons of CO2 saved and 1.25 million car trips replaced. Rides in Bristol account for the overwhelming majority of e-scooter rides in the West of England, with South Gloucestershire and Bath also partaking in the trial.
A spokesperson for Voi said: "Unlike other European countries, the trials in the UK are highly regulated and all Voi e-scooter trials are exclusive to one operator. Riders are required to be over 18 and have a driving licence, and Voi ensures speed limits are kept at 12.5mph, below the recommended by the Department for Transport.
"In the West of England, e-scooters can only be parked in mandatory parking spots, including a maximum number of scooters per area, and parking racks bays are available to park the scooters to ensure scooters are parked correctly and in safe spaces. Measures are also in place to encourage good parking and tackle misuse, including blocking the users from using the service.
'One of the most successful in the UK'
"Voi works closely with the West of England Combined Authority to ensure this sustainable mode of transport is introduced safely and responsibly. The trial can be considered one of the most successful in the UK, and to date, more than 3.6 million rides were taken on Voi scooters, with an estimated 1.3 million cars replaced.
"Safety continues to be our number one priority, which is why we take a leading role in driving-up safety industry standards. In order to achieve that councils and operators should work together, for instance, to find alternative parking solutions to pavement parking, freeing up space that is currently occupied by cars and prioritising the development of cycling infrastructure to encourage safe micromobility journeys and discourage private cars for short journeys.
"Voi sees the future of cities such as Bath and Bristol as being able to conveniently access affordable, zero-emission, lightweight alternatives to polluting motor vehicles."
A West of England spokesperson said: “E-scooters were introduced across the West of England at the end of October 2020 at the height of the pandemic. The aim was to reduce pressure on public transport and offer residents a sustainable, convenient and affordable alternative to using the car. The trial is part of a national programme with information from the trial expected to inform government on how e-scooters could be legalised and regulated and how they could work with the existing transport system. The trials were initially planned for 12 months but have been extended by government to allow further time to assess the benefits of the trial.
“Whilst we would anticipate that Government will take into account learning from other European cities, the current legislation in the UK restricts the number of operators and the numbers of e-scooters which isn’t the case with many European cities.”
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