Tech partnership set to enhance e-scooter safety across Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Council - which launched an e-scooter trial with leading European e-scooter operator Voi Technology back in September 2020 - has recently partnered with Vianova, a French tech company helping cities and mobility operators build safer, more efficient streets and more sustainable transport systems. Thanks to Vianova’s platform, Northamptonshire has the toolbox to manage and audit the e-scooter trials running operating in six towns across the County, paving the way for a more successful and impactful trial.
Since the start of their collaboration in December, Northamptonshire County Council has used the Vianova platform to digitally design, implement and enforce more than 250 regulations for e-scooters currently deployed across the County. These regulations are communicated to Voi's operations teams in real-time, allowing them to implement the necessary changes to their geofenced No Ride, Slow Ride, Incentivised Parking and No Parking zones based directly on the council's request.
Through the platform, the County Council has been directly involved in the design and implementation of additional 100 No Parking Zones, 20 No Riding Zones, 10 Low Speed Zones and 140 Incentivised Parking Zones. These are designed to reduce the chance of incidents involving e-scooters around more sensitive sites, such as schools, care homes and highly pedestrianised areas. This tech-enabled approach is the first to be rolled out in the UK, creating a roadmap for the +50 councils and regional authorities considering or managing e-scooter trials.
Moreover, the Vianova platform means the County Council, Northamptonshire Police’ Safer Roads team and Voi Technology can now communicate in real-time on key safety and compliance issues. Northamptonshire County Council can now receive alerts regarding any vehicles that might be causing nuisance, such as by breaking parking regulations, directly through the Vianova platform and report them to e-scooter operator Voi, which can then swiftly troubleshoot any issues.
This collaborative approach will help ensure riders and other road users’ safety, so the local community can have the best possible experience while the trial is in place. Northamptonshire e-scooter trial has already exceeded the 170,000 trips mark since its start and is the largest currently operating in the UK. Many more users are expected to adhere to this more flexible and sustainable way to commute and get around.
- Vianova’s CEO, Thibault Castagne, expressed excitement about this forward-thinking collaboration: “We are thrilled to partner with Northamptonshire County Council and Voi Technology on this pioneering project, which we hope will set the trend for the broader e-scooter experiment across the UK. Better managing micro-mobility is an important first step in reclaiming streets for people, and using data to shape the transportation revolution underway.“
- Richard Corbett, General Manager, U.K., Ireland, and Benelux, at Voi, said: “Our overall goal is to ensure the safety and success of the e-scooter trials in the Northamptonshire region; therefore, we are delighted to collaborate with Vianova on this innovative project.”
- Ian Achurch, Head of Economy & Strategy (and lead for the e-scooter trial, which is part of a wider Smart Move Northamptonshire initiative), at Northamptonshire County Council, said: “We are delighted to be working with Vianova and Voi on this new platform. Whilst still at pilot stage, the signs are very promising. The platform enables us to create regulations which can be implemented with a matter of minutes. It provides the ability for us to track and evaluate compliance. With this we can develop better insights and understand how effective the regulations are, and where these need to be changed or tightened. Ultimately, it will benefit users, local communities and other stakeholders, and should help to inform some of the considerations on best-practice and guidelines for e-scooters operations in the UK.”
Notes to Editors
About Vianova
Vianova is a data platform that helps cities better integrate and manage shared, connected, electric and autonomous transport solutions in the urban space, enabling better use of city infrastructure, and promoting safer and more sustainable mobility. Vianova has offices in Paris, Zürich and London.
About Voi Technology
Founded in August 2018, Voi is a Swedish micro-mobility company offering electric scooter sharing in partnership with cities and local communities. We believe e-scooters can play a central role in changing how people move in our cities in the future. And we want to make sure that the transformation happens the right way - through real innovative technology, open and transparent dialogue with cities and Governments and by adapting our products to local needs. Jump on a scooter whenever and ride wherever in the city in just minutes - completely carbon-neutral. Voi has been a carbon-neutral company since January 2020 and has adopted the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework, and has also set a clear agenda for reducing and offsetting emissions.
Contact details:
Thibaud Febvre, COO, thibaud.febvre@vianova.io, +33 6 08 84 41 67
Kirsty Wilcox, Performance Support Officer, kwilcox@northamptonshire.gov.uk
Ian Achurch, Head of Economy & Strategy, iachurch@northamptonshire.gov.uk
Paula Santos, Senior PR Manager, paula.santos@voiapp.io, +44 776 220 2150