Voi taps Drover to prevent sidewalk scooter riding in Oslo

In order to prevent sidewalk riding, Voi is using computer vision tech from Drover to identify whether a scooter is on the pavement, road or cycle lane.

Operators are looking for ways to appear more attractive to cities as the industry consolidates around a few key players. If there is one thing cities hate more than scooters riding on sidewalks, it is the fact that they are on the sidewalk in the first place. Operators like Voi have turned to advanced rider assistance systems to give them a good reputation.

It appears to be working.

The tender for Voi, which has been operating in Oslo for over two years, was recently extended by another year. The inclusion of Drover's tech was one of the reasons that Voi's safety and parking score was the highest out of the 12 companies that also participated, according to someone familiar with the matter.

Over the next few months, hundreds of scooters will be equipped with Drover's PathPilot artificial intelligence technology. Drover's tech can alert the rider of their transgressions and even slow them down if they are on the sidewalk or parking a scooter in a way that is inappropriate. The operator and the city have the final say on these more involved capabilities.

This isn't the first time Voi has used camera-based technology to prevent scooters from riding. Voi launched a pilot in the U.K. with Dublin-based Luna that investigates how smart artificial intelligence cameras could help better enable scooter parking, prevent sidewalk riding and avoid potential dangers. The Drover partnership is similar to Voi's partnership with Drover, but it will also improve the way that scooters are parked and ridden, and it will be done at scale.

Voi and Drover will work together to build a record of where and how scooters are being ridden. PathPilot will automatically deliver insights on fleet use or rider behavior which Voi says it can share with the city council to help improve the service by recognizing fallen scooters to be picked up by Voi workers.

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