“Cities made for living free from noise and pollution”
by: Danielle Stephanie Ferreira & Uglesa Petrovic
In the past, wherever you traveled on the continent the situation was the same…
City centers growled with traffic, pedestrians ingesting toxic fumes and cycle lanes so few and far between that cyclists took their lives in their hands whenever they rode the streets. Today, the image is of course changing. Enter the solution to all these infuriating Modal problems! Voi Scooters!
What is Voi?
Voi Technology is a “micro-mobility” start-up that operates an e-scooter service on the streets of a growing number of European cities. It was launched in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018. Voi was founded by CEO Fredrik Hjelm, Douglas Stark, Adam Jafer, and Filip Lindvall. They all have a shared vision of easing Europe’s traffic-clogged city centers and reducing pollution. They set out to offer a clean, efficient, cost-effective and zero-emission first-and-last mile alternative to cars and taxis. Voi was the first European e-scooter sharing company to go live in multiple countries. The company is now introducing virtual parking spots for their scooters. They are the first E-scooter company in Europe with more than 500 employees. They have over 4 million scooters.
How to Voi
It is quite simple actually. All you have to do is download the app (VOI Scooters: Get Magic Wheels) and then create an account. Once you have done this then you can locate an available Voi scooter in the app. You then have to find the scooter and unlock the app whilst standing next to it. Of course, you need some speed before you can use the throttle. Kick three times and head off on your journey!
But where do I leave my scooter?
One of the many benefits of Voi is that you can ride and park almost everywhere in the city but the streets are not just yours – they belong to everyone.
As you can imagine, the collection of scooters all over the city can be quite messy! So naturally, Voi came up with quite a simple solution. If you park in the ideal location you receive a discount, which in turn makes it easier for the collection of scooters. They created special zones for riding and parking. These zones are created alongside the cities to adapt to local needs.
When using the application, the users are able to see the preferred parking spots, where they should preferably park their scooters once they are done using them. If they park it in these “ideal” locations then they will receive a 50c return for helping to reduce the immense spread of parked scooters all over the city.
The application itself is very user friendly as it shows the “Voi Hubs” (which are the ideal parking spots) in green, the normal parking spots without the discount in blue and the spots where they do not want you to park at all (the forbidden areas) in red. Their ultimate goal is to free the city from traffic jams, loud noise and pollution.
What is the magic behind Voi?
The main technological innovation of Voi Technology is the use of micro-mobility. Providing consumers with different sets of e-scooters shows that the company is focused on what consumers need for efficient and easy to access transportation. Scooters are shared to provide low carbon, convenient and affordable transportation for urban citizens. With the technology being focused on e-scooters they are set on making the best use of this technology by reducing CO2 emissions and to ensure the scooters are used and shared for as long as possible.
It is time to download the app, find your scooter and hop on! You never know what magic you’ll find…
References:
Voi (2018), Get magic on wheels, retrieved from: https://www.voiscooters.com/
Hjelm, F. (2019, September). Voi technology Sustainability Statement . Retrieved from Voi Scooters: https://www.voiscooters.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Voi-Technology-Sustainability-Statement-.pdf
Lerner, S. (2019, November 12). Voi Technology 85 Million Funding e-scooter. Retrieved from Phocus Wire: https://www.phocuswire.com/Voi-Technology-85-million-funding-e-scooter
Maller, H. T., Simlett, J., Mugnier, E. (2020) Micromobility: Moving cities into a sustainable future, retrieved from: https://www.voiscooters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/20200316_EY_Micromobility_Moving_Cities_into_a_Sustainable_Future.pdf