The expansion of the Voi e-scooter scheme into the rest of South Bristol - more than two years after it launched in the rest of the city - has been hailed by the city’s transport chiefs as something that will ‘boost transport options’ for the people there.
Voi Technologies will switch on e-scooters parked up in a new wide area of South Bristol from today, Tuesday, December 6. The scooters are now available to be ridden from Withywood and Hartcliffe on one side of South Bristol, across to Hengrove, Stockwood and Whitchurch, as well as the outer parts of Brislington, for the first time.
Parking zones have been set up on pavements and public spaces across that area of South Bristol, and the invisible GPS barrier which disabled the e-scooters if anyone tried to ride them across the A4174 ring road across South Bristol has been switched off.
Read next: Voi scooters finally extended into South Bristol
Bristol Live first broke the news last week that the extension was finally happening, a month or so after local councillors in Hartcliffe called out the Swedish e-scooter firm for neglecting the far south of Bristol - just as the YoBike scheme had done before.
Voi had set up the block on the e-scooters being used or parked in that part of South Bristol when the scheme was first launched in November 2020, as well as a restriction on their use in north west Bristol. In June this year, the scooters were finally allowed as far out as Avonmouth, and despite announcing that it would be extended to South Bristol in July, it didn’t happen - until now.
Cllr Don Alexander, the council’s lead on transport, said the expansion was good news. “Bristol is already the most popular city in the UK for Voi e-scooters with an estimated three million car journeys replaced to date,” he said. “This further expansion into south Bristol will boost transport options for even more people across our city and help deliver a modern, sustainable transport mix for Bristol,” he added.
Voi commissioned a report into the socio-economic impact of the e-scooter hire scheme, which found that the scooters will contribute an estimated £43 million to the local economy between 2020 and 2024. People using the scooters to do shopping will spend £20 million, the report said.
A spokesperson for Voi said it was important people in the new areas the scheme was starting up in took advantage of some of the discounts on offer, including for those on low incomes, NHS staff, students and refugees.
“The expansion to the city’s outskirts in the south will help bring equity to some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Bristol as Voi’s e-scooters play a key role in broadening access to employment, according to the report,” he said. “Given the ease, reliability, and accessibility of its service, nearly one-quarter of all Voi trips start and end in the country’s most deprived areas. Bristol residents have also come to rely on the convenience Voi's service for their daily commute, as just under two-thirds, or 60 per cent, of all morning e-scooter trips in Bristol end in the top 10 per cent of the most employment-dense locations in the city.
“With a larger operating area, more people can take advantage of the service through Voi's various ‘Voi 4’ discounts, including those on low incomes, refugees, NHS staff, and students. For example, people from low-income groups are eligible to receive more than 80% off their rides a Day and Monthly passes via Voi-4-All,” he added.
Sam Pooke, Voi’s Senior Public Policy Manager for UK and Ireland, said Voi was making the city more healthy too. “We’re delighted our service is expanding to include communities in the south of Bristol,” he said. “Voi provides an essential service to people which is now available to everyone across Bristol, helping them to travel to and from work, see their friends and family, and visit local amenities.
“Today’s expansion also means these communities can take advantage of a safe, sustainable and more affordable alternative to using a private car, especially with our targeted ‘Voi 4’ discounts. We’ve worked closely with Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority and the local community to ensure more people can access the benefits of Voi’s shared e-scooters across the city.
“As the socio-economic report shows, not only does our service improve air quality and tackle congestion, e-scooters also improve people’s lives by making it easier for them to access employment, which most importantly, helps create a better city for living,” he added.
Read next:
E-scooter rider caught on M5 near Bristol was 'following sat-nav on his first day at new job'
'Next generation' model of Voi e-scooters rolled out in Bristol today
E-scooters 'are five times safer than bikes' major new study has shown
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