Voi got its start in Sweden providing micromobility rentals, and expanded over time to over 100 cities around Europe. Unlike many American scooter companies, which are often at odds with city officials and the voters who put them in office, the company’s website says it aims for a different approach, working with officials instead of against them. The company also tries to coordinate the use of scooters with transit systems and other services to complement instead of compete with them when possible.
The company recently put out two announcements showing that its approach continues to serve not just the mobility needs of the communities the company serves, but also other needs, like crime prevention and scooter safety. Let’s take a look at each of these stories!
Keeping Ex-Cons On The Straight & Narrow
An ex-offender had the opportunity to acquire valuable work skills during a three-day placement at Voi. This opportunity was facilitated by Key4Life, a crime prevention charity. Sam, aged 31, worked with Voi’s Bristol team for three days, assisting in e-scooter servicing and battery replacement. He was chosen for a three-day work taster after an interview with Damien Shiel, Voi’s fleet manager, at a Meet the Employer workshop organized by Key4Life.
Key4Life conducts 7-step rehabilitation programs for young men in prison or at risk of incarceration. These programs focus on employability training, equipping individuals with the necessary skills for the workforce and facilitating their job placement.
“I was very impressed by Sam’s answers and attitude during the interview and wanted to give him the opportunity to get some work experience with our warehouse mechanics and fleet team who fix and check e-scooters around the city,” said Damien. “I’ve been working with Key4Life for three years now and we’ve been really pleased to give permanent jobs to participants over that time. It’s been a great way for Voi to give something back to the community we operate in and if we’ve helped just one young offender get back onto the straight and narrow then it’s all worth it.”
“Work tasters arranged by Key4Life are such a great idea because they give ex-offenders useful experience such as having to get up and get to a job on time, meet new people and learn valuable work skills,” said Sam. “I’m very grateful to Voi and Key4Life for giving me this opportunity.”
Sam, whose last name wasn’t shared, liked working on scooters, but ended up impressing everyone enough to now be training to be a mentor at Key4Life, so he had an opportunity to move on to even greater things!
“Getting a good job is the glue that keeps these young men away from a life of crime. And yet research shows that 50% of corporate Britain would not hire ex-offenders,” said Eva Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Key4Life. “However, employing ex-offenders is an opportunity to do right for the local community and helps to remove unfair prejudice. Likewise businesses stand to benefit by extending employment opportunities to a broader candidate pool of untapped talent.”
Three Million Rides in Northampton
Over the past three years, residents of Northampton have taken a total of 3 million e-scooter trips across the town. Voi, in collaboration with West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), is now expanding its e-scooter service to include Moulton and Collingtree, extending coverage to the north and south of Northampton. This expansion signifies the continued presence of Voi’s micromobility operations not only in Northampton but also in North Northamptonshire, encompassing Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Kettering, and Burton Latimer.
“Our Northampton trial has grown in popularity, with more and more people choosing to use scooters for short trips to work, for socialising, to go to the shops or appointments and to get to university,” said Jack Samler, Voi general manager UK, Ireland, and France. “Since the scheme was launched in partnership with North and West Northamptonshire councils, we’ve increased the number of scooters and expanded the scheme so more people can benefit from using e-scooters across a wider area, providing a new, easy-to-use and affordable means of transport.”
Since the launch of the e-scooter trial in September 2020, public hire e-scooters have become a significant addition to transportation in Northampton. Over 63,000 people in the town are now registered with Voi, utilizing e-scooters for their daily commutes and education. E-scooters offer a greener alternative for travel and have already replaced more than 1.4 million car journeys in Northampton. With over 4.3 million miles covered, the introduction of e-scooters has resulted in an estimated reduction of 667 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the city.
Ensuring safety is Voi’s utmost priority. The company conducts online safety webinars that comprehensively address various aspects of riding a Voi e-scooter or e-bike. Topics covered include wearing a helmet, maintaining the correct position on the road, and parking without obstructing pedestrians.
Upcoming webinars for 2023 in the area:
- Tuesday, September 12th: 5.30pm and 6.45pm
- Thursday, October 19th: 12pm and 1.15pm
- Tuesday, November 14th: 5.30pm and 6.45pm
- Thursday, December 7th: 12pm and 1.15pm
Attendees of the safety webinar will receive 30 free minutes for Voi e-scooter or e-bike usage, along with a helmet. Participants must be 18 or older with a provisional or full driving license. People can sign up for the webinars here.
“We are pleased to be working with Voi to continue to deliver safety events which provide an ideal opportunity for people to find out more about the Voi scheme, how to participate safely and legally, how they can do their bit for the environment by travelling sustainably and how to park without causing an obstruction for pedestrians. I would encourage anyone interested to find out more to join one of the upcoming safety events,” said Cllr Phil Larratt, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste at WNC.
While the company obviously isn’t obligated to work with the community, try to be part of the solution to things like repeat offenders, and try to get people to ride their scooters more safely, it’s great to see them do all of this. Nine-tenths of advertising is working to satisfy the communities you serve, and this definitely helps.
Featured image provided by Voi.
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