When we act on our social purpose and contribute to our local communities and planet, we become part of something much bigger than ourselves. Reconnecting with the natural world in a post-lockdown era is a powerful way of gaining perspective on how valuable clean air can be and, as such, the importance of low-emission initiatives.
Safety and sustainability- the key topics of discussion around the use of e-scooters
Safety and sustainability are expectedly some of the key topics of discussion that revolve around the use of e-scooters.Undeniably, these are critical areas for debate in order to determine the long-term viability of this brand new mode of travel. However, other areas that are not as regularly discussed, but we believe could be highlighted more, are the mental health and wellbeing benefits of riding e-scooters. From the uplifting feeling of being in the fresh open air to overcoming “environmental grief”, e-scooting offers communities the means of boosting happiness from A to B.
Developing a critical understanding of the impact of your chosen mode of travel provides a feeling of empowerment similar to consciously choosing to eat healthy foods over junk. Opting to ride an e-scooter over a private car doesn’t only alleviate discomfort and deliver convenience, it should provide riders with a sense of fulfilment of their unwritten responsibility to their planet.
Have you ever woken up, eagerly excited to get onto a bus, crammed underneath someone’s armpit whilst hearing the occasional cough and splutter? Alternatively, how many times have you been stuck in slug-paced car traffic in a city and have to ask yourself to “keep calm and carry on”. An endorphin-inducing alternative for urban travel can involve jumping on an (authorised) e-scooter, found in any city or town currently trialling them across the UK. Unlike public transport, opting for a rental e-scooter means you are not likely waiting for the vehicle to turn up, nor are you obliged to traverse along a fixed route with a list of separate stops.
An e-scooter provides the freedom and flexibility to travel outdoors to complete the same journey in a fraction of the time and on a route of your choice. When used safely and responsibly on the road or in a cycle lane, these vehicles allow masses of people who are interested in enjoying micro-mobility but may not yet feel comfortable cycling to realise the benefits. E-scooters, therefore, provide a necessary stepping stone for key demographics who desire the feeling of independence and seek fulfilment to do their part to reduce emissions.
The modern individual lives among interconnected technologies such as social media and Zoom calls, and are increasingly searching for ways to become more present in the moment and to gain deeper connections with the natural environment. Henceforth, the emergence of the popular phenomenon of minimalist living.
E-scooting provides riders with the ability to be fully present in the moment
E-scooting provides riders with the ability to be fully present in the moment, to focus on the road ahead rather than dwell on personal or work problems. Plus, being outdoors in a post lockdown era also offers the opportunity for much-needed social exchange with others, particularly when movement is at slower speeds where it is possible to interact with pedestrians, cyclists and to stop at places of interest. This is compared with car travel, where the user is effectively stuck inside an enclosed box, removed from social activity, and obliged to use costly car parks. Western society is heavily consumption-focused, but eco-consciousness instructs us to derive fulfilment from only taking what we need and to engage, to some extent, with the concept of subsistence living. For context, an e-scooter uses 16x less energy than Tesla’s greenest electric car and takes up just a 10th of the geographical footprint. With this in mind, the Zwings team continues on our mission to help develop local authorities and stakeholders to create an urban utopia to make it as easy as possible for masses of people to realise the benefits that e-scooting brings.
Zwings are catering for the needs of 2nd and 3rd tier cities with highly personalised e-scooter and bike-sharing services. These smaller cities may not have the same level of access to frequent bus services, Uber, metros or trams let alone innovative modes of travel that can be found in major cities. In turn, we are delivering valued solutions to deliver the aforementioned benefits to demographics where they have previously not reached. With a 70% increase in the number of people opting for micro-mobility during the pandemic, coupled with the heavy investment into dedicated infrastructure more and more communities can now finally reap the rewards of scooting.