Discussing inclusivity in UK micromobility with Dr Amit Patel

As part of our roadmap to creating and contributing to an inclusive micromobility sector, we had the honour of meeting with Dr. Amit Patel, one of the UK’s leading voices in diversity, equity and inclusion. You can watch and listen to our meeting with Dr Patel in the video below, and we thank him for his candid and forward-looking approach to micromobility. We believe that it is only by working closely with disability experts, listening and learning from them and also sharing their voice with all our stakeholders, that we can develop a micromobility sector that works for everyone.

Dr Patel is not only a best-selling author, he is also a motivational speaker and he has certainly motivated us to keep educating our users, towns, cities and communities about inclusive and safe transport.

“I personally think that e-scooters are an amazing concept – if you use it the right way – and I think they’re a great means of transport.” – Dr Amit Patel, author, DEI consultant and disability activist

Alleviating fear

At Voi, we understand that e-scooters are new and that, with newness, comes fear for some. Our role in this regard is to help alleviate this fear in any way possible and, indeed, this will always be at the heart of our business ethos. Dr Patel describes himself as someone who “strives every day to challenge himself and challenge other people’s perceptions of disability” and we are responding to this challenge in every way we know possible.

We want everyone to know that we are here for you, and hearing you. We hear, for example, that our e-scooters turn quickly from a convenience to a concern if parked irresponsibly. We also hear that, for some people living with mobility issues, e-scooters can, in the words of Dr Patel help “regain a little bit of freedom that you may have lost. The ability to get on a scooter because you can’t walk a mile, but you can ride a mile” is something we want to support more and more.

A fine ambassador in embracing change

In Dr Patel’s book, Kika & Me, he tells the most inspirational story about how, after sudden sight loss, his guide dog Kika changed his world. As someone who truly embraces change and collaboration, we couldn’t have hoped to have met a finer ambassador for a new movement of change in transport.

“Electric scooters are rapidly increasing in popularity and are clearly hugely on trend right now. But more than a trend, they have a real opportunity to redefine the transport landscape and open up mobility options for many different types of people.” – Dr Amit Patel

You can also read more of Dr Patel’s views on inclusive micromobility in Intelligent Transport.