Scandinavian e-scooter firm Voi has appointed Richard Corbett as regional General Manager for the UK and Ireland ahead of a proposed relaxation of the rules on UK roads.

Corbett joins the firm after spending two ago at rival firm Bird, where he began championing the legalization of e-scooters with central government.

He launched the first legal e-scooter service on private land at Queen Elizabeth Park in East London.

Voi has been similarly championing the wider use of e-scooters, having met with UK transport policy makers last year in a bid to bring the trend to UK roads.

The appointment comes as Government plans fast-track use of e-scooter trials on UK roads to prevent resurgence of coronavirus transmission via public transport.

At Voi, Corbett will be responsible for leading the firm’s UK push, hiring a UK team and working closely with local authorities and in partnership with transport operators to set up its e-scooter sharing service in UK cities.

”What gets me up in the morning is knowing that I’m part of making a positive impact on a world that my toddler son will grow up in. Embarking on this new role at Voi and being able to – in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic – introduce to the UK a new mode of transport that’s green and leads to less congestion will undoubtedly be a huge turning point,” he said.

Fredrik Hjelm, CEO and co-founder of Voi Technology, said: “Out of this terrible pandemic, there is an opportunity to reinvent the way that we travel around cities so that we can cut congestion and pollution for good. Now more than ever a collaborative approach to mobility is needed and we need to make sure that there are good non-polluting options available, that suit all abilities and pockets.

“There is a huge unmet demand for e-scooters in UK towns and cities and Voi will work closely with local authorities and other transport operators to provide new mobility choices.

“Richard knows the transport sector inside out and is also a committed evangelist for e-scooters. We’re delighted to have him on board as he shares our values of building a company that can reshape cities in a way that benefits us all.”