Voi e-scooter love in Birmingham

It’s now been five weeks since we brought our Voi e-scooters to Birmingham, and in that time, residents have really taken to getting around town on two electric wheels. Voi boasts more than 6,000 unique users in the West Midlands city, more than half of whom are repeat customers. Since the launch, there have been more than 21,000 rides taken, with an average ride length of 22 minutes. In total, Voi users in Birmingham have traveled more than 46,000 kilometres — that’s a greater distance than the circumference of the Earth!


We sat down with Richard Crooks, a business consultant from Lichfield, to find more about how the new e-scooters have made his life a little easier. He commutes to Birmingham for work and uses our e-scooters to shave minutes off his travel time, so he can focus on more important things: spending time with his clients and growing his business.

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How did you hear about the scooters and why did you decide to try one? Had you used an e-scooter before?

I had never used an e-scooter before, but I heard about them on the news. The launch was covered on the regional TV station. I often travel to Birmingham New Street station, but many of my clients are a 15-minute walk away from there, so decided to try to reduce my travel time.

How do you use the e-scooters in Birmingham? Do you have a regular route?

I use an e-scooter to travel from the train station to clients around the city. My regular route is to and from New Street to St Paul’s Square.

How do the scooters make your life easier? What is the benefit to you?

It reduces my travel time between meetings, which means that I can be more productive at work.

Why do you think the e-scooter trial is good for Birmingham?

If the trail succeeds in encouraging more people to leave their cars at home, then it’ll be great for the environment. I’ve stopped driving my car into town, because I can travel around the city quicker on a scooter from meeting to meeting. It’s cost effective.

It’s also fun — and we all need a bit of fun right now!



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The word on the street is positive, too. Hear how other Birmingham residents are enjoying e-scooters in the video below.