Every day should be World Car Free Day

Today we are celebrating World Car Free Day, an important date during which many cities and organisations in the UK and across the globe encourage people to give up their cars for a day and walk, cycle or jump on a rental e-scooter. 

Despite evidence showing that the same short journey can be completed faster if using a greener transport mode, in the UK, and according to the latest Government statistics, over 70% of short journeys under five miles and 25% of journeys under one mile are done by a car.

As a company, we believe we are making an important contribution to reducing congestion and pollution in our cities and towns. In our latest UK user survey, 36% of Voi riders stated they are replacing short car rides with Voi rides, with 53% using our service to commute to and from work or go to social engagements. Interestingly enough, 29% referred that if the service was unavailable in their cities, they would revert to using a car.

At Voi, we regularly offer discounts to those who need them the most. This year, we are again marking this special occasion by offering new users a 30m free ride by using the code UKCarFreeDay22 (T&Cs apply*), incentivising even more people to ditch their cars and combine Voi with public transport. In fact, 34% of our riders in the UK are already combining Voi’s with public transport, which reveals the true potential of micromobility, particularly considering that our service has only been around in the UK for two years.

While we continue to work closely with relevant stakeholders and city partners to ensure our service is safe and inclusive for all and an integral part of the urban transport mix to tackle the climate crisis and create greener and healthier cities to live in, everyone needs to play their part.

Reducing private car usage in the city centre and recovering the space currently occupied by cars on our streets, creating more places for people to enjoy such as parklets, requires commitment and daily action, not just for Car Free Day!

Watch here the pledge from Jack Samler, our General Manager at Voi UK and Ireland.

*UKCarFreeDay22 discount is only available for first-time riders. Standard pricing will apply after 30 minutes. The code expires at 23:59pm on Friday 23rd September 2022.