Edinburgh’s new e-bike scheme, Voi, began its rollout on September 3rd with 5o bikes set up across central Edinburgh.
The council is closely monitoring its progress after the previous provider, Just Eat Cycles, was scrapped after just three years as a result of repeated theft and vandalism.
So far the response has been largely positive, with over 4,000 people using the bikes in the first month, and Voi reporting no thefts to date.
The company credits this to enhanced security measures, something James Bolton, the company’s UK general manager, says makes the bikes “more durable and less prone to vandalism.”
There was, however, an attempt by a masked gang to steal a private bike from St Andrew Square whilst on Voi vehicles. They were filmed trying to cut the bike off a rack using an angle grinder last Monday afternoon.
The owner of the private bike told Edinburgh Live: “The new Voi bikes in Edinburgh are already being used by gangs to get around and attempt to steal bikes”, a concern raised by other locals.
Police Scotland has launched an investigation into the incident, confirming that “officers are reviewing relevant CCTV footage from in and around the area.”
To find out what students make of the new Voi bikes, we took to The Tab Edinburgh’s Instagram with a poll. 89 per cent of the 485 respondents said they had not yet used the bikes, which isn’t entirely surprising given that only 50 are currently available.
When we asked for general opinions, the overall sentiment from students was optimistic, but some concerns were also raised. A common frustration was the limited area of operation, which currently only extends as far as Pollock Halls to the south, therefore excluding the King’s Buildings Campus.
One respondent said that they were “worth every penny”, but we just needed more in the city, while another echoed this sentiment, giving them a rating of “8/10”, and others simply said they were a “class” addition to Edinburgh.
Safety, however, was a recurring issue, with students pointing out the lack of helmets and the fact that they can easily clutter the already crowded pavements.
One student said the lack of helmets provided with the bikes meant they would “not be using [the bikes] considering a helmet has saved my life in a bike accident”. Another commented on their appearance, saying: “They’re all over the pavement and it looks like shite.”
Reacting to similar calls made in previous launches, Voi launched an in-app feature in 2020 called the helmet selfie, where riders are prompted to take a selfie wearing a helmet before they unlock the bike, which gives them loyalty points resulting in discounted rides.
They were also the first e-bike company to introduce the reaction test in order to discourage drunk or unsafe riding, a feature that is now also used by other companies such as Lime.
Another key concern was the limited range offered by Voi, covering only central Edinburgh, reaching the Central Campus and Pollock Halls, but not Kings Campus, cutting many would-be users off, with one student calling the limit “annoying” and others calling for it to be expanded.
If the momentum remains positive, Voi plans to expand heavily with a target of offering 800 bikes by December, with this expansion its highly likely they will look at expanding the area of operation, which will hopefully alleviate some of the frustrations that students have had.
As the rollout expands, the scheme’s long-term success will surely depend on how well Voi and Edinburgh Council respond to public feedback and safety concerns.
