Voi called on cities to select their micromobility operators based on sustainability criteria during a talk at MOVE 2021 earlier this week.
Jack Samler, General Manager for UK and Ireland at Voi, addressed the Micromobility & Ability stage on Tuesday and issued six recommendations for cities and operators.
Aside from arguing that the sustainability credentials of each operators should be considered heavily during the tender process, Samler said that cities must allocate more space for parking and consider fleet optimisation across operators.
As far as operators are concerned, the senior Voi figure suggested that firms develop shared infrastructure for parking and charing, increase their focus on full lifecycle emissions, and optimise vehicles for resource efficiency.
Voi recently announced its intention to become climate positive by 2030, having been carbon neutral since January 2020.
“At Voi, we work closely with over 70 cities across Europe and the UK and we are constantly evaluating our operations and how we work together with cities to ensure that everyone enjoys the benefits from our service,” Samler told Zag Daily after the event.
“Above all, our mission is to create cities for living and that means ensuring that shared micromobility schemes can seamlessly integrate into city life as a sustainable alternative to private car journeys.”
Reflecting on his presentation at MOVE, Samler explained that operators and cities must both take further steps to reach the full potential of micromobility.
“In order for cities to reap the rewards of micromobility, it’s crucial that dedicated parking spaces are provided for e-scooters and e-bikes, enabling operators to provide shared parking infrastructure that riders can easily access,” he added.
“City authorities should also be responsible for selecting operators that meet their sustainability targets – not just in reducing harmful carbon emissions from private car journeys but also reducing emissions in all areas of the e-scooter lifecycle. Sustainable operations also mean not overwhelming public spaces with vehicles. In order to maximise sustainability goals and ensure the value of each scooter on the road is maximised, cities should select operators that demonstrate an ability to run high utilisation fleets – at Voi, we have one of the most efficient fleets across Europe.
“By following these steps, together with cities and other micromobility operators, we can ensure that the shift to sustainable modes of transport in urban areas happens in a sustainable way, creating safer and healthier cities for all.”
