E-scooting takes off in Bristol — a rider tells us why Voi is a hit

Since we launched our Voi e-scooters in Bristol at the end of October 2020, the city has become one of our most popular U.K. trial zones. In less than four months, more than 25,000 Bristolians have taken nearly 93,000 rides around the famous maritime city streets. It has been such a success that we have recently expanded the operational area to include South Gloucester, to make it easier for people to commute and run errands during this time.

Curtis Blythe, an IT support engineer, loves tech and food-blogging around Bristol on Instagram @JurassicFoodies. We caught up with him to talk about e-scooting in the city.

How did you hear about the scooters and why did you decide to try one?

I remember seeing people scoot around on them in the centre. I was curious, and had to give it a google! I loved the idea of renting scooters since I first saw them in LA, but was unable to use them there because I don’t have a U.S. licence.

How do the scooters make your life easier?
The scooters are a convenient, fast, simple way to get from A to B. Riding the scooter was thrilling and more fun than I expected.

Why do you think this e-scooter trial is good for Bristol?
There is always lots of traffic in Bristol, and electric scooters give us a new enjoyable way to travel. I see micro-mobility becoming the new way to move around in the upcoming years.

Do you think people are more inclined to take e-scooters during the pandemic? Yes, because they allow people to travel easily without needing to interact with other people.

E-scooter uptake in Bristol has been tremendous, judging from our ridership numbers. Why do you think that is?

I think what makes them so popular is the younger generation in Bristol are always keen for trying out new things and even more so it helps the environment at the same time, as we are a green city.