Portsmouth City Council, as part of Solent Transport, have teamed up with Voi to promote their discounts available to those on low income, students and those serving their community. Voi have focused on making the shared e-scooter scheme in Portsmouth, which is funded by the Solent Future Transport Zone, and e-bike service elsewhere as accessible as possible to everyone.
The challenge
Currently transport is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. This makes it a crucial element in all net zero strategies, at all levels of government. While it is vital that we reduce transport related CO2 emissions, it is also key that any decarbonising of transport strategies and provision is viable for all communities, ensuring no one is left behind.
Currently the cost of electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure they require, means that the price of such technology is not viable for many on low incomes. This has been compounded by the rising costs of living and squeezed household budgets. Furthermore, low-income neighbourhoods may not have regular access to public transport. Without targeted support to enable communities to transition, there is the possibility that some communities will not have the transport equity and availability to transition to sustainable forms of transport. This also means they become even more disproportionately impacted by poor local air quality and its negative health outcomes than is already the case.
The solution
Working with cities and local community partners, Voi has reduced costs for certain groups in the community in an effort to make it as accessible and affordable as possible.
This approach has seen three different bands of support created:
- Voi 4 Heroes, which offers a 50 per cent discount on a Monthly Pass for NHS, emergency service workers, military personnel and veterans
- Voi 4 All, which offers a 50 per cent discount on a Day or Monthly Pass for vulnerable users including refugees and those from low-income groups
- Voi 4 Students offers a 20 per cent discount on a Day or Monthly Pass for students and staff at higher education institutions.
Pay-as-you-go prices costing £1 to unlock and approximately 20p per minute also offer riders flexibility, however, additional discounts to the daily passes (approx. £10) and monthly passes (approx. £50) assist to meet people’s changing needs, especially during the current cost of living crisis.
Portsmouth City Council has teamed up with Voi to promote their combination of discounts that enable all parts of the community to afford electric scooter access. Portsmouth City Council worked with Voi to recognise community opportunities that would enable Voi and the council to meet people in a practical setting. This led to Voi taking part in an active travel event in a low-income area where they distributed flyers detailing discounts available, free helmets and offered the community to try out an e-scooter at no cost. They also distributed informational flyers at the job centre, supermarkets, housing offices, community centres, food banks, and libraries to spread the message to the whole community.
This was also supported by a comprehensive communications campaign, utilising social media including Twitter and LinkedIn, direct emails to riders, council communications including council newsletters, public media interviews and the promotion during online and in-person safety events. This created a platform to explain to the community how discounts have been applied to support people during the cost-of-living crisis and how others may qualify.
The impact
Since the communications campaign, Voi has seen a large increase in Portsmouth in those using the Voi 4 All discount for refugees and those on low income. August 2022 saw usage at three times higher than in July.
Similar initiatives are having a positive impact across the UK, where Voi’s discounts are in place across 17 towns and cities and has seen an estimated 1.1 million discounted rides happen since its inception. This has saved UK riders an estimated £2.4 million as of September 2022 and seen an estimated increase of 62,000 new riders using electric scooters and bikes.
Using a carbon calculator built with and validated by Dr. Manos Chaniotakis, Lecturer in Transport Modelling and Machine Learning from UCL’s MaaSLab combined with rider surveys, it’s estimated that in September 2022 Voi’s services have enabled 6.7 million car journeys to be replaced and have reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 3,400 tonnes, and have saved petrol consumption by 1.4 million litres.
How is the approach being sustained?
Voi has committed to delivering affordable options to all riders and council partners across the country. Portsmouth City Council and Voi are also in regular dialogue to recognise ways in which to reach and inform members of the public of available discounts.
Lessons learned
During the pandemic, Voi experienced high adoption of the Voi 4 All discount which covers NHS workers who were working hard to address the public health crisis and usage has remained high alongside students who have embraced e-scooter travel. However, it recognised greater work was required to reach those on low incomes, to make them aware of the Voi 4 All discounts. This led to Portsmouth City Council and Voi working closely together, as such joint working between the council and Voi was instrumental in reaching as many people as possible. Both parties recognised that you can’t assume people are aware of available discounts, which makes ongoing communication vitally important and something both partners have committed to going forward.
Contact
Jim Hubbard, Senior Public Policy Manager, Voi.