British Scooter Service Adopts Onfido ID Reading, with Plans for Biometrics

Onfido is providing identity verification services for an e-scooter start-up in the UK. Voi Technology is conducting scooter trials in Cambridge, West Midlands, Northampton, Liverpool, Bath, and Bristol, and has completed more than 100,000 rides across its entire network.

The partnership with Onfido has allowed Voi to make digital identity verification part of its pitch to the Department for Transport. As it stands, every scooter rider in the UK is required to have a valid driver’s license during the trial phase. Voi has been able fulfill that requirement with Onfido’s document recognition technology. Riders simply need to take a photo of their driver’s license, and Onfido will make sure that the document is authentic.

In the future, Voi plans to supplement that with Onfido’s facial recognition and liveness detection technology. Doing so will ensure that the person holding a document is indeed the person depicted on that document, and that they are present during the identity check.

Voi cited digital identity verification as a key factor in its expansion, since UK council leaders appreciated it as a safety measure. Thus far, no other scooter operator has reached more than three UK cities. Other Voi safety features include number plates on scooters and a geofencing system that prevents riders from going above 5mph in areas with too many pedestrians.

“Safety is paramount to everything we do at Voi, and one aspect of this is the correct identification of riders,” said Voi Co-Founder and CEO Fredrik Hjelm. “Our strategic partnership with Onfido is critical to ensure that people are riding Voi scooters appropriately.”

“The ability for e-scooter riders to securely verify their identities is not only important for providing access to the service, but in guaranteeing the future of e-scooters in Britain’s micro-mobility sector by preventing the service from being exploited and misused by those that are not eligible,” said Onfido Chief Product Officer Kevin Trilli.

The news comes shortly after Jumio provided similar identity verification services for Dott’s scooter network in Lyon. Onfido’s technology has previously been used to verify the ages and identities of Deliveroo drivers, and to verify people in heavily regulated industries like gaming and financial services. The company itself recently brought on a new CEO as it looks to extend its upward trajectory.

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November 17, 2020 – by Eric Weiss