All aboard: Voi supports the Connecting Europe Express with free rides to rail travellers to celebrate the European Year of Rail and sustainable transport
Sep 2, 2021
2021 is the European Year of Rail, shining a light on one of the most sustainable and safest long-distance transport modes we have.
One of the most visible initiatives of the European Year of Rail is the Connecting Europe Express, a special EU train that will make a 20,000 km journey across 26 countries and cross 33 borders before it finishes in Paris on 7 October. Today, Voi is announcing it will offer free e-scooter rides to all train passengers in participating Voi cities, to showcase and celebrate the sustainability benefits of travelling by rail paired with eco-friendly first-and-last-mile solutions such as shared e-scooters.
Train travel is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel, accounting for only 0.4% of all European transport-related greenhouse gas emissions compared to 13.2% for aviation and 71.8% for road travel. The sustainability benefits of rail travel can be extended further when paired with sustainable first and last-mile transport options in cities, such as e-scooters and e-bikes.
Voi is committed to ensuring that micromobility can enhance the accessibility of inner-city rail services. Nearly 50% of all Voi rides are taken in combination with public transport and Voi works with over 35 private and public Mobility as a Service (MaaS) collaborations, including national rail companies such as SBB in Switzerland, SJ in Sweden, DSB in Denmark and DB in Germany, to empower people to make more environmentally conscious choices in the daily lives.
Following the Connecting Europe Express
Voi is enabling passengers from the Connecting Europe Express to explore the city they’re visiting in a carbon-neutral way and reduce the reliance on polluting vehicles. Voi is offering all passengers of the train a voucher with two free unlocks. The voucher can be redeemed in the 20+ cities where Voi provides e-scooters on the day the Connecting Europe Express will pass by.
September 4 – Bordeaux
September 5 – Turin
September 6 – Milan
September 7 – Rome
September 26 – Munich
September 27 – Stuttgart, Zurich
September 28 – Frankfurt, Bern, Basel, Karlsruhe
September 29 – Berlin
September 30 – Hamburg, Copenhagen
October 1 – Linköping, Stockholm
October 2 – Norrköping, Malmö
October 3 – Bremen
October 5 – Brussels
Combining micromobility with train travel
From business travellers to tourists, European rail carries billions of passengers a year across 201,000km of track. Across the continent, Voi is enabling passengers to travel more seamlessly and reduce transport inequality with shared and public transport options.
A recent pilot integration with Stuttgart’s rail operator S-Bahn Stuttgart saw at least a 35% increase in rail tickets purchased by Voi users ending scooter rides at the Bad Cannstatt station compared to the rest of the city. The number of last-mile Voi trips also increased by more than 250% at the station after parking racks were installed. In Switzerland, Voi scooters are bundled with the public transport subscription yumuv, with scooters found at mobility hubs in Zurich and Basel. Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, Voi is working with the Danish State Railways and large Danish companies to nudge employees into leaving the car at home and utilise shared e-scooters and rail instead.
Already, Voi riders in Europe have replaced 8.4 million car trips and saved over 1,680 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide emissions (Co2e) because of shared micromobility. Voi will continue to work closely with cities and public transport operators as part of its mission to transform how people move around.
Jasmin Rimmele, Voi’s Program Manager Public Transport, said: “Travelling by train is one of the best and environmentally-friendly ways to explore Europe from the iconic Trans-Siberian Express to the thousands of people that travel via Interrail passes every year. Whether it’s travelling for a business meeting or a holiday, we want to ensure that everyone can get the best from their trip and have a minimal carbon impact on the place they’re visiting. By supporting the Connecting Europe Express, we’re enabling passengers to embrace micromobility to complement their train journey and enjoy their trip in a sustainable way.”
Jan Vonlanthen, project manager at SBB, said: “At SBB, we support first and last mile mobility offers that combine the strengths of rail with the potential of new forms of mobility. We see VOI as a public transport-oriented, innovative and cooperative partner to promote connecting mobility at our stations.”
Interested in reading more about the Connected Europe Express? Visit this website.
