One-third of Voi users say they have reduced their car use as micromobility grows in popularity across Europe

• Over one-third (36%) of Voi users say they have drastically or fully reduced car use thanks to the existence of micromobility services, according to Voi’s annual global user survey
• Amongst older riders - those over 45 - almost half say they have cut back on car use, since discovering shared micromobility
• 55% of the 10,000 riders surveyed said they typically combine e-scooter use with public transport, up from 47% last year
• The survey is being announced on the Day of Micromobility (25 August), as Swedish Voi celebrates its 4th anniversary

Stockholm, 25 August 2022: More people are combining shared micromobility with public transport in cities across Europe and leaving their cars at home, according to a survey by Voi Technology. The leading European micromobility company’s annual user survey, which polls 10,000 riders across the continent, shows that 36% of e-scooter riders say they have drastically or fully replaced their car use because of the availability of micromobility, including e-scooters.

Voi is announcing the rider data on the Day of Micromobility (25 August), which marks the fourth anniversary of the Stockholm-based company. Every year, Voi conducts an international user survey to understand rider behaviour, including what kind of transport modes are replaced by an e-scooter and reasons for riding. This year’s survey includes a new question to better understand how the existence of e-scooters and other micromobility services has impacted users’ car use over time. This has barely been in focus in micromobility research to date, as explained on Voi’s blog. 

These results indicate that micromobility services may have a bigger impact on car use than previously thought, as more people find shared mobility services combined with public transport to be a viable alternative to the car. Voi calls for more research on how the existence of micromobility services impacts users’ cars use over time. 

Micromobility becoming part of people’s routines

As shared mobility services of e-scooters and e-bikes have expanded across Europe, riders have found more ways to use the electric vehicles and are increasingly building them into their everyday routines. One consequence is that the number of people using the e-scooters for fun - or as an experience - has fallen. Last year, over 40% of riders said one of their primary purposes for riding an e-scooter was for fun, with no particular destination. However, this has since fallen to 30% with more people saying they use e-scooters for travelling to socialising events (59%) and commuting to work or education (48%). This indicates that as people become more familiar with micromobility, they incorporate it into their regular routes and use it in combination with public transport.

Around 25% of riders are solely using e-scooters for their journeys, whilst more than 55% of riders say that they typically combine e-scooter rides with public transport, up from 47% last year. In this way, micromobility is helping to solve the first/last mile challenge of public transport in cities across Europe.

Riders of all ages embracing e-scooters and replacing car trips 

E-scooters are being adopted across Europe by riders of all ages. Close to half of the respondents aged 45+ say they have reduced their car use significantly since adopting shared micromobility. The take-up of e-scooters by older age groups shows that micromobility is suitable for all ages, giving people choices where previously they would have taken a car. 

In addition, there are signs that e-scooter use is particularly lowering car usage in the suburbs. Over 60% of riders that live within a 30-minute public transport ride of the city centre have reduced their car usage because of micromobility services. On average, 14% of Voi rides replace a car trip with an e-scooter ride. 

Fredrik Hjelm, co-founder and CEO of Voi, said: “Since Voi was founded, we’ve been on a mission to help transform how people move around their cities to reduce car dependency and reclaim public spaces for living. We’re starting to see a significant impact with more people using e-scooters alongside public transport and people of all ages find a flexible alternative to car trips, or even ditching the car completely. Micromobility services such as Voi are contributing to a reduction in air pollution and harmful emissions, making our cities happier places to live. Even with over 125 million rides and 100 cities under our belts, we’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible with shared micromobility and there are even greater benefits for Europe’s cities, their air and quality of life as we continue on this journey.” 

About the survey 

The survey was sent out by email to a random sample of Voi users in July.  We received 9,898 responses from users across all 11 countries Voi operates in. The survey included around 25 questions, including one segmentation question to only include eligible users and a disqualification question to exclude invalid answers.  

Contact 

press@voi.com

About Voi

Founded in 2018, Voi is a Swedish micromobility company offering e-scooter and e-bike sharing in partnership with towns, cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our towns and cities in the future. We want to ensure that the micromobility transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with towns, cities and governments and by adapting our products to local needs. Voi has been a carbon neutral company since January 2020 and has adopted the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework. 

Voi operates in over 100 towns and cities across 11 countries. It is headquartered in Stockholm and employs 1,000 people. To date, Voi boasts more than seven million riders and has served more than 125+ million rides.