Tag Archive: Shared Mobility

  1. Fluctuo European Index Annual Review out now

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    Source: Fluctuo

    The latest report analyses 115 European cities as well as the entire European market on shared mobility. 2023 was the year of transition in the industry, with lay-offs, mergers and acquisitions dominating the news in operators pursuit towards profitability. We dive into some of the highlights below.

    European Market

    The aftermath of the Paris scooter ban wasn’t as severe as initially feared, it did instil a sense of unease. Major cities like Rome, Berlin, and Brussels significantly reduced the number of scooter operators and vehicles. At a European level, there’s been a tightening of regulations imposed by cities.

    Following significant fundraising between 2018 and 2021, operators encountered challenges securing additional funding. Consequently, they’ve had to adopt frugal practices, meticulously managing costs, raising prices, exiting unprofitable markets, and implementing layoffs. Nevertheless, they’ve begun to introduce new offerings, with shared bikes gaining prominence.

    These efforts are yielding results. Dockless bike usage surged by over 50% in 2023, surpassing scooters that dominated the market from 2019 to 2022. Station-based bikes and free-floating cars are also experiencing robust growth.

    Some operators secured their immediate future through mergers (such as ShareNow and Free2Move, TIER and Dott), while others, like Reby, Superpedestrian, and Cityscoot, succumbed.

    Economic viability remains central to discussions in 2024. Will revenue from end-users suffice for profitability, or will public funding be necessary to bridge the gap, akin to the majority of station-based bike services?

    “Our projections for ridership and revenue in 2024 are optimistic,” asserts Julien Chamussy, CEO of Fluctuo. “The exit of certain operators and increased tender calls will pave the way for European champions. While there may be reduced competition, the financial stability and operational control of remaining players will facilitate the continued growth of shared mobility services, benefiting European cities and their residents.

    Ryder Cup of shared mobility

    Europe continues to dominate the shared mobility market compared to North America, with a fleet size almost three times that of North America.

    Car sharing

    Car sharing continues to grow across the board, with rentals increasing by 39% and fleet size increasing by 25%, with the fastest growing markets in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark.

    The full report can be downloaded here.

  2. Brussels drastically cuts e-scooter numbers starting February 2024

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    Source: The Mayor.eu

    Starting February 1st, 2024, Brussels is implementing significant changes to its e-scooter landscape. The city plans to reduce the available e-scooters from over 20,000 to just 8,000, exclusively operated by Bolt and Dott. Alongside this reduction, designated drop zones will become the sole spots to conclude a ride on these vehicles.

    To accommodate this shift, Brussels Mobility will increase specially assigned parking spaces for shared mobility vehicles from 1,000 to 1,500 in the coming month. Leaving an e-scooter outside these allocated zones will be prohibited from then on.

    This move aligns with a broader trend across European cities to address the unregulated spread of shared micromobility vehicles, which often encroach on pedestrian spaces in urban areas.

    Brussels Mobility highlighted their commitment to providing the safest and most advanced vehicles to the city’s residents. The fleet, comprising e-scooters, bicycles, and mopeds, will boast 100% zero direct emissions. Moreover, special pricing schemes for various target audiences are in the works.

    With licensed operators finalized, other entities now face the task of removing excess vehicles within a six-week grace period.

    Furthermore, regional authorities have selected operators for shared bikes, mopeds, and cargo bikes, establishing quotas for each category in the city.

    The new regulations take effect on February 1st, 2024, across 11 Brussels municipalities. In the remaining eight, operators will utilize GPS tracking systems to restrict parking to locations sanctioned by local authorities.

  3. POLIS publishes new report on shared micromobility

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    Source: EU Urban Mobility Observatory

    The new report, “Catch me if you can!”, analyses how European cities are regulating shared mobility

    POLIS, the network for European cities and regions to work together in developing innovative technologies and policies for local transport, has undertaken extensive research with stakeholders to gather their insights on the key issues and challenges that have emerged with the rise of shared micromobility. Those consulted include individual cities, public practitioners and private operators.

    For local and regional authorities, shared micromobility represents a complex governance challenge, where many aspects – sustainability, safety, innovation, regulation and more – must be balanced.

    Some might argue that regulation should be a prerequisite for the deployment of shared micromobility services and schemes. However, the reality is that mobility services have often been put in place before adequate regulation has been established. Most local and regional authorities have found themselves having to regulate services which were already in use, and without clarity about how to achieve this.

    The POLIS report explores: 

    • How local and regional authorities are regulating shared mobility.
    • What has and has not worked, and learnings from these experiences.
    • The differences and similarities between cities.
    • Potential future strategies for both public authorities and private operators.

    In the face of rapid change and increased public demand, local and regional governments have based their regulations on local context and with use of the tools available. Critical aspects within authorities’ jurisdiction include issues such as urban space allocation, vehicle requirements, and user behaviour. The primary challenge is that of introducing newer modes of transport such as shared micromobility into pre-existing infrastructure that is primarily shaped around private cars.

    For the future, it is important to balance the regulation of new transport modes with the possible changes around the traditional monopoly of private cars. Climate neutrality goals demand a shift away from the conventional ways urban transport has been organised, and it is more and more relevant to explore strategies for incorporating shared mobility and other transport modes into urban mobility ecosystems. The role of policy and regulations is to build effective frameworks for including new transport modes into the mobility mix. Transport planners must also consider topics such as redistributing space in favour of more sustainable, safe and health-promoting transport means.

    The POLIS report can be read here.

  4. Fluctuo’s Q3 2023 European Shared Mobility Index is out

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    The report shows 144% increase in usage of dockless bikes in Paris since the city’s controversial ban on e-scooters.

    Paris’ e-scooter ban came into effect in September, with some believing it would be a big financial hardship for operators, where the sector’s numbers had been increasing steadily since 2018. The ban led e-scooter manufacturers Dott and Lime to increase their bike fleet, and today they are currently operating 10,000 and 7,000 bicycles in the city respectively. Operators therefore managed to make up for lost rides and revenue with dockless bike ridership that more than doubled YoY in September (x2.5) and October 2023 (x2.3).

    Overall in shared mobility, Fluctuo reports that ridership across modes (docked and dockless bikes, scooters, mopeds and car shares) is up 1%, and fleets are down 2% on the same period, meaning TVD (Trips per Vehicle per Day) has slightly improved across the board. Where moped use is down, shared care use is up. Furthermore, Paris, Berlin and London take the lead in quarterly fleet size by city population.

    Followers of the shared and micromobility sectors may find the full Fluctuo Q3 2023 European Shared Mobility Index report here.

  5. Two-seater shared e-bikes could debut in Brussels in 2024

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    Source: The Mayor.eu

    It is possible that the world’s first two-seater shared e-bike will arrive in Brussels early in 2024, following an announcement by French operator Pony that they are included as part of its proposals in response to a recent call for tenders by Brussels Mobility.

    If the contract is awarded, the two-seater Double Pony models would be available outside of France for the first time. It can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h, and has a range of up to 100 km when fully charged. They have been designed to cover a distance of 20,000 km over their lifetimes and to withstand harsh weather. Additionally, parts can be interchanged and used to extend the lifespan of other Pony bikes.

    Pony has already been operating in Brussels since 2021 with an offering of one-seater shared e-bikes.

    Guillem Leroux, Pony’s spokesperson, spoke to The Brussels Times about the Double Pony: “This e-bike has been successful in France, where approximately 70% of our users have already experienced it as a passenger.” 

    Pony has also introduced an innovative scheme for the shared soft mobility sector, with its unique “Adopt a Pony” programme. This allows users to buy a bike from the company and then lease it to other users using the corporate platform, and share the profit made with the enterprise. Guillem Leroux explained that, through this scheme, the company aims to redistribute income back into communities.

  6. Indefinite strike to affect Barcelona’s bike-sharing service

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    Source: The Mayor.eu

    Employees of Bicing, Barcelona’s bike-sharing service, are preparing to go on strike, with unions CGT and CCOO describing the action as ‘indefinite’

    The strike is set to commence at 7:00 a.m. on 14 November, and at 10:30 striking workers will gather to protest at the site of Barcelona City Hall in Place Sant Jaume.

    CGT, one of the unions representing the Bicing workers, has advised service users to consider alternative means of transport for the duration of the strike. It is likely that there will be insufficient Bicing bicycles to meet demand, and broken bikes will not be repaired.

    Bicing currently has 7,000 bikes on the streets of Barcelona. However, according to the service’s workforce, that number is too low to meet user demand. The strikers are calling for an increase in the number of bicycles, plus the improvement of the replenishment service, meaning repairs can be made without affecting the offer on the streets.

    The Bicing workforce is also putting forward demands for a five-year agreement with the city, seeking to guarantee salary increases in line with rising costs of living. There are also demands for the recovery of seniority, enhanced weekend and holiday pay, and the creation of bonuses.

  7. Car trips cut by shared e-scooters and e-bikes according to Dott research

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    New data reveals the impact of shared micromobility services for EU Mobility Week

    Images available here.

    Dott, a responsible European micromobility operator, today unveils new research highlighting the impact of its shared e-scooter and e-bike services in cities across Europe. More than one quarter (26%) of Dott trips replaced motorised alternatives such as the car, taxi or motorbike, equal to removing over 8 million polluting journeys last year.  

    Nearly two thirds of Dott users (62%) that previously travelled by car, said that they are using that mode less since starting to use Dott.3 And riders are travelling for longer, with the average ride distance up by 9% to 2.36km in the first half of 2023. 

    Dott’s shared vehicles have become a frequent, everyday solution for its users, with 63% of its trips used for commuting. By combining public transport with shared e-scooters and e-bikes, Dott’s riders benefit from a compelling alternative to cars across longer distances. 58% of riders combine Dott with public transport and 50% use a public transport pass. The figures demonstrate that shared e-scooters and e-bike services support, rather than replace, public transport.  

    Persistent high fuel costs are continuing to influence people’s travel decisions. Over one in four (28%) say that they are using shared e-bikes and e-scooters more, as a result of the energy crisis. Shared micromobility services save users from vehicle purchase and maintenance costs, providing a reliable and efficient alternative to ownership. 

    Henri Moissinac, Co-Founder and CEO, Dott, said: “As we approach the end of our peak season, European Mobility Week provides an opportunity to explore how our riders are using our service. With the majority of trips now coming from an everyday solution to commuting, we’re having a real impact in reducing car use. We are focused on providing a safe, reliable service at scale to help more people choose sustainable transport when travelling across their city.”


    ‘Inside Dott’ 

    To mark European Mobility Week, Dott has opened up the doors to its Operations Centres across Europe. Visitors have been able to see how Dott’s unique in-house model, and commitment to delivering its service responsibly, provide a high quality and reliable service for its users.

    The environment and social impact are at the heart of every business decision at Dott. The micromobility company has set out its goals and progress at ridedott.com/sustainability. 

    -ENDS-

    Notes to editors

    1 Based on Dott research targeting 6,930 Dott users who had ridden within the last 30 days, conducted between 27 July and 14 August 2023. 

    2 Based on Dott’s total number of rides in 2022 (33,603,491)

    3 Respondents who said they used personal cars, taxis or ride-hailing services less.

    About Dott

    Dott is a European micromobility operator founded by Henri Moissinac and Maxim Romain, with the mission to free our cities with clean rides for everyone. Dott currently operates over 40,000 e-scooters and 10,000 e-bikes in top cities in Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. Dott has a staff of over 600, with its main teams located in Amsterdam, London and Paris.

  8. Paris ban on rental e-scooters comes into force

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    Source: 42Mag, S. Bornstein

    French capital becomes the first to place a ban on ‘floating’ e-scooters for rental from city streets, following an earlier public vote.

    The ban came into force on September 1st, based on the results of a public consultation in April, in which 89% of voters spoke in favour of the ban. However, the consultation only saw a 7.4% turnout, leading rental e-scooter operators to urge the city’s Mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to seek compromise.

    A spokesperson for e-scooter operator Lime said, “We remain hopeful that we can continue to work with Mayor Hidalgo to pass sensible regulations instead of a ban on e-scooters, and avoid a setback for Paris.”

    Some voters have voiced a preference for stricter regulations, rather than a blanket ban: “I don’t want scooters to do whatever they want on the sidewalks, but banning them is not the priority,” said Pierre Waeckerle, 35.

    Prior to the ban, Paris had a fleet of 15,000 e-scooters, and figures showed that 400,000 people travelled on them in the city in 2022. Complaints about pedestrians being jostled, haphazard parking and other annoyances had prompted the public consultation in April; French Transport Minister Clément Beaune, a possible candidate for mayor in 2026, said the vote was a huge democratic failure.

    Following introduction of e-scooters to Paris in 2018, three operators had been active in the city since 2020 on a three-year contract, under which certain restrictions were in place, including 20km/hour speed limits and designated scooter parking areas.

    The ban relates only to rental e-scooters; privately owned scooters are not affected.

    The head of the road safety agency Securite Routiere, Florence Guillaume, strongly encouraged scooter users to wear helmets, which have been made compulsory in some European cities.

  9. Swobbee realizes first project in south-eastern Europe

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    GreenTech startup from Berlin, LEVA-EU member Swobbee, puts out feelers in the direction of Southeastern Europe for the first time. Its cooperation with a local vehicle service provider is beginning to bear fruit.

    In the future, Swobbee will work with the Greek fleet service provider Evedima to charge and operate micromobility vehicles more sustainably in various cities in Greece. The first Swobbee station has already been set up, with more to follow in the coming weeks.

    Evedima specializes in providing services and infrastructure for urban mobility and transport services. In Greece, the company is responsible, among other things, for operating the Finnish e-kick scooter sharing company, Hopp.

    For part of the first collaboration project by Evedima and Swobbee, a battery changing station was set up in Vouliagmeni near Athens, where exchangeable batteries for Hopp’s electric scooters can be charged and changed quickly and easily. This saves the company from complex loading logistics with warehouses on the outskirts of the region, improving cost efficiency and environmental balance of sharing vehicles.
    “We are very pleased to be strengthening sustainable mobility in Greek cities together with such a strong partner as Evedima. This is Swobbee’s first project in South East Europe and we hope to expand our presence in the region in the future,” said Thomas Duscha, CEO and co-founder of Swobbee.

    More Swobbee stations are to be set up in the coming weeks, including the Greek capital of Athens.

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