Transport

Shop and ride with Voi

One-third of Voi e-scooter journeys end on Bristol’s high street in first economic impact report for micromobility

04/11/2022

 Voi Technology, the UK’s leading shared e-scooter operator, is helping revive Bristol’s city centre shops, restaurants and leisure venues and bring life to the heart of the city and local economy, according to a major new independent report today.

Carried out by Volterra Partners and commissioned by Voi, the first independent study assessing the economic benefits of shared micromobility found that the company’s riders in Bristol are expected to spend an estimated £13 million on the city’s high streets in 2022 alone. This figure rises to £37 million at retail locations on high streets across the country, showcasing the positive benefit shared e-scooters are having on the local economy.

Download Voi Independent Study

Nearly one-third of total Voi e-scooter trips (31%) ended on Bristol’s high streets, helping to support the revival of these areas according to a new report

Voi riders will spend an estimated £37 million at retail locations on high streets across the UK - £13m of which is in Bristol in 2022 alone

The scheme is broadening access to employment, helping to create up to 260 new jobs in the city

VOI SCOOTERS ARE DRIVING PEOPLE BACK TO BRISTOL’S HIGH STREETS

Bristol is the most popular UK city for Voi and in the top 10 European cities for the shared micromobility company. Since the trial launched in the city in October 2020, nearly 7 million rides have been taken, travelling over 11 million miles and replacing an estimated 3 million independent car journeys.

People across Bristol have come to rely on Voi e-scooters for running errands, meeting friends and shopping. The number of e-scooter trips that ended around Bristol’s 72 high street locations in the trial area is equivalent to 31% of total trips across four months (over 400,000), whilst trips to retail parks were lower (only 31,000). Based on Voi’s annual rider survey data, it is predicted that at least 14% of these 430,000 trips to high streets in Bristol were for shopping purposes, meaning that approximately 60,000 trips would be contributing to the vitality of high street retail. Furthermore, in food and beverage expenditure alone, Voi’s e-scooters are estimated to have supported up to 260 jobs in Bristol this year alone.

Voi e-scooters are supporting the revival of Bristol’s high streets and local economy. In part, this is down to the accessibility of Voi’s e-scooters – in 80% of the city’s trial area riders are only ever a five-minute walk from a Voi e-scooter, whilst there are 200 parking spots located directly on Bristol’s high streets. As well, approximately 37% of parking spots in Bristol are within 50m of a bus stop, enabling people to combine e-scooter trips with public transport to ensure more of the city is accessible by sustainable means.

Tackling transport poverty and creating equity

Bristol residents aren’t just using e-scooters for leisure trips, but have come to rely on them for commuting too. In total, 60% of all morning trips in Bristol end in the top 10% most employment-dense locations in the city, whilst on average 30% of Voi trips in the UK are used for commuting. With the average salary for Voi users in line with the UK national average, it’s clear that e-scooters are playing a key role in broadening access to employment across Bristol and other UK towns and cities.

More widely across the UK, the impact of e-scooters is having a significant impact on accessibility to employment. Given the ease and accessibility of the service, Voi’s service has been particularly important for those in low-income areas with nearly one quarter (24%) of all Voi trips starting and ending in the country’s most deprived areas.

Matthew Pencharz, Head of Policy in the UK and Ireland at Voi

Over the past two years, Voi e-scooters have provided an essential service to people across Bristol, helping them to travel to and from work, see their friends and family, and visit local amenities. This research demonstrates for the first time the positive economic impact Voi’s shared e-scooters are having in Bristol and other cities around the UK. From reducing congestion and harmful emissions to supporting jobs on local high streets, it’s brilliant to see how e-scooters are directly translating into benefits for the city. We’re continuing to work closely with Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority and the local community to ensure that more people can access the benefits of Voi’s shared e-scooters across the city.

Improving Bristol’s roads and reducing pollution

By encouraging people to leave behind their cars and take an e-scooter for inner city journeys, Vois has had a positive economic benefit on Bristol in other ways beyond high street spending. This shift from cars to shared micromobility has stemmed the rate at which roads and other transport infrastructure degrade and require maintenance, as well as reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In Bristol alone, the potential benefits from this could see an extra £2.48 million during the four-year trial period go back into the local economy through government savings, rising to £37.7 million over 60 years.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol

E-scooters are now an important part of our city’s modern, sustainable transport mix. It’s encouraging to see the impact they are having on Bristol’s local economy: giving many of our residents the freedom to hop on and off across the city, enabling them to get to work, study and leisure destinations. We are living in a climate emergency. E-scooters, along with walking, cycling and public transport, offer realistic alternatives for day-to-day car use and will help us reduce air pollution and carbon emissions.
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