‘Bring back Voi’: Bristol’s new e-scooters slammed over lack of availability

Bristol’s new e-scooters have been slammed for lacking availability in certain parts of the city.

Tier’s turquoise e-scooters launched in the city on October 13, replacing the coral-coloured Vois which had become a familiar sight on our streets.

The e-scooters have been rolled out in a phased approach, with 2,000 e-scooters deployed across the city as part of the first phase.

This is set to increase to 4,000, with e-bikes also to be launched shortly and e-cargo bikes.

But people have taken to social media to criticise the number of e-scooters in areas outside of the city centre.

“Not nearly enough scooters in South Bristol,’’ tweeted Windmill Hill councillor Ed Plowden. “One that had recently been moved close to me was “unavailable”.”

“And in North Bristol, it is the same,” also tweeted Lockleaze councillor David Wilcox. “600 in the centre just isn’t working for the rest of Bristol.”

While on Reddit, one user called for Voi, Bristol’s previous e-scooter provider, to be brought back.

“Absolutely every aspect of Tier is worse and it took me like an hour to get somewhere instead of 20 minutes,” they wrote.

In response to the criticism, Jessica Murphy, head of public policy, UK at Tier, told BristolWorld: “We are in just the first few weeks since our launch in Bristol and the response across the city has been exceptional.

“Users have already taken over a million minutes of journeys in under two weeks and it is great to see such high demand for micro-mobility.

“We are still in the first launch phase, with more e-scooters due to join the fleet, as well as the introduction of e-bikes which will greatly increase the density of vehicles in Bristol making them easier to find.

“We appreciate people’s patience as we scale up and adjust the service, while taking on board feedback, to ensure it best fits the needs of people across the city.”

Tier won the competitive tender to operate the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s shared micro-mobility service earlier this year.