News / Transport
The end of the road for Voi in Bristol
The last day of Vois on the streets of Bristol is officially on Friday. But the fleet of coral-coloured e-scooters has already noticeably diminished.
For several weeks, the number of Vois has gradually been reduced until they are removed for good over the course of Friday night; to be replaced on Saturday morning with the first of the turquoise Tiers.
Not just Tier e-scooters either but also e-bikes and e-cargo bikes.
is needed now More than ever
Tier e-scooters are noticeably larger than Vois – photo: Charlie Watts
For now, the map on the Voi app is showing fewer and fewer vehicles, with once crowded parking areas now devoid of Vois.
The Swedish company has provided rental scooters in Bristol since October 2020 and it swiftly became widely used.
The scheme has become one of the most popular in Europe with more than ten million rides bringing in a £20m “economic boost” according to a recent tweet from mayor Marvin Rees.
Of course, it was the West of England Combined Authority and not Bristol City Council who was in charge of the e-scooter trial.
And WECA appears to be riding on the success of Voi by rebranding the new scheme to WESTscoot for the 4,000 e-scooters, WESTbike for the e-bikes and WESTcargo for the 20 e-cargo bikes.
While Voi is winding down its operations in Bristol, it has already departed from Bath to be taken over by Tier.
Voi is bidding Bristol “bye for now” – image: Voi
Tier e-bikes currently outnumber e-scooters in Bath – image: Tier
So farewell then, Voi.
It is no exaggeration to say that they revolutionised public transport in Bristol.
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- ‘Voi’s empire is no more, and I can’t help but feel nostalgic’
- First look at Bristol’s new e-scooters
- Bristol’s new e-scooter provider partners with Big Issue
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