Solent Transport partners with Voi and Beryl for enhanced micro-mobility experience

Credit: Solent Transport

Solent Transport has announced a ground-breaking collaboration agreement with Voi Technology and Beryl, who run micro-mobility schemes in Portsmouth and Southampton. The collaboration aims to enhance the benefits of the multi-operator environment, resolve potential conflicts and ensure a seamless experience for riders.

The agreement, the first of its kind outside of London, sets out co-operative practices to improve services for customers of both operators and promote the growth and sustainability of micro-mobility in the Solent region.

The Solent Future Transport Zone (FTZ) e-scooter trial has been highly successful, ranking as the fifth largest and most widely used in the country. Both Voi and Beryl have seen successful expansion of their micro-mobility fleets in the Solent region. The collaboration agreement serves as a template for other local transport authorities to encourage alignment and collaboration among micro-mobility operators in their respective regions.

The agreement addresses the complexities of joint operations, particularly in relation to shared and co-located bays. It aims to harmonise operations, improve bay management, as well as ensure transparency, rapid issue resolution, co-operation and the sharing of best practices between the two operators. In addition, the agreement also includes operating guidelines and specific requirements for busy or important bays, such as briefing staff, establishing a shared communication channel and creating a forum to resolve issues promptly.

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Bay management is highlighted as a crucial aspect, including reporting damaged or untidy vehicles, addressing anti-social behaviour and promptly escalating field issues. By aligning their goals and strategies, Voi and Beryl can better serve the Solent FTZ, fulfil their commercial objectives and provide a smoother, safer and more enjoyable experience for micro-mobility users and non-users.

Councillor Phil Jordan, Deputy Chair of the Solent Transport Joint Committee, said: “Co-developing this micromobility agreement with Voi and Beryl has been a very positive experience. It provides a foundation for effective cooperation across Portsmouth and Southampton and we are pleased to see the benefits to our unique multi-city, multi-operator environment.”

Beryl CEO and Co-founder, Phil Ellis, said: “By contributing towards cutting congestion and carbon emissions and getting more people active, bike, e-bike and e-scooter share schemes have the power to fundamentally improve the health and sustainability of our cities. It’s therefore vital that we continue to work hard with our local authority partners and other transport operators to ensure we deliver a level of service that enables them to become an even more essential part of integrated urban transport systems.”

Jack Samler, General Manager of Voi UK, Ireland, and France, said: “Providing our shared e-scooter services is best executed through partnership, whether it be with local authorities, police or in this case, Beryl.”