E-Scooter Survey Says Users ‘Drastically’ Reducing Car Use In European Cities

Consumer Tech E-Scooter Survey Says Users ‘Drastically’ Reducing Car Use In European Cities Jonathan Keane Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Freelance technology journalist covering the gig economy. New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Aug 25, 2022, 03:00am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A person rides a Voi rental e-scooter near to the Guildhall in Portsmouth, which are part of a . . .

[+] Department for Transport trial on Portsmouth’s roads. Picture date: Tuesday March 16, 2021. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images) PA Images via Getty Images E-scooters are beginning to integrate deeper into everyday transit in European cities, according to a new survey.

The survey was run by e-scooter sharing firm Voi, which operates in dozens of cities and suburban areas. The company advocates rental services for e-scooters and bikes as a means of reducing traffic congestion and paring back emissions from transportation. According to the survey, 36% of respondents say they have “drastically or fully replaced their car use” in favor of e-scooters while 55% said they often combined the micromobility vehicles with public transport.

The survey polled 10,000 Voi users and is conducted every year. The report’s authors said that the mood has shifted among e-scooter users. Last year’s survey found that over 40% used e-scooters for fun whereas this year that number is 30% with increasing numbers of people using the vehicles for specific purposes, like commuting or travelling to social events.

The findings indicate that many users are over the novelty phase of trying out shared e-scooters and are now integrating them more into their everyday lives. “We’re starting to see a significant impact with more people using e-scooters alongside public transport and people of all ages finding a flexible alternative to car trips, or even ditching the car completely,” chief executive Fredrik Hjelm said. However e-scooter operators are not without critics.

In Voi’s home market of Sweden, officials are prepping rules to rein in the number of scooters on the streets and imposing tighter regulations around where the vehicles can be parked. MORE FOR YOU Google Issues Warning For 2 Billion Chrome Users Forget The MacBook Pro, Apple Has Bigger Plans Google Discounts Pixel 6, Nest & Pixel Buds In Limited-Time Sale Event Hjelm said these regulations risk “stifling innovation” in transportation. “Across Europe now we are seeing good and bad practice in regulation and we would encourage policymakers to investigate those countries that have been able to introduce regulation without frustrating customer demand,” Hjelm said.

“We are supporters of a hybrid model that allows for both free-floating scooters and bikes, as well as mandatory parking zones. ” In several cities in Europe, councils have jostled with managing the influx of e-scooters on their streets. Paris most notably pared back the number of operators in the city while several cities mandate specific zones for e-scooters to be parked in.

Hjelm said that around one-fifth of the 100 cities it operates in have implemented mandatory parking zones for e-scooters and that he expects this to rise. “Any change results in a period of adjustment when riders adapt. But we’re anxious to make sure that changes don’t negatively affect riders and force them back into using cars.

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