After the vote on a ban on the vehicles in Paris, the e-scooter provider Tier Mobility sees renewed discussions in Germany about stricter regulation. “Of course there are now discussions, what can Germany learn from Paris? Should similar decisions be made here?” said Tier Germany boss Philipp Haas of the German Press Agency. “But you also have to say that the federal legal basis is very different from that in France.” E-scooters are an integral part of the road traffic regulations. So they couldn’t just be banned.
“Acceptance still absolutely there”
Nevertheless, there are cities that are trying to reduce the supply of e-scooters or make operation uneconomical with “horrendous special user fees” or strict concession regulations. “We can see from the user numbers that the demand and acceptance in Germany is still absolutely there,” said Haas. The company is trying to use incentive and sanction systems to prevent the scooters from blocking sidewalks or endangering passers-by.
With a bonus, users would be encouraged to park their scooters in a public or virtual drop-off zone. Such a hybrid model – with scooters standing around and parking spaces – already works very well in Munich and Düsseldorf, among other places, emphasized the animal manager.
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Difficult environment for many start-up companies
In a public survey in Paris a few weeks ago, 89 percent of those questioned spoke out in favor of a ban on e-scooters. The city has reacted: From September, Paris will ban the rental of e-scooters, of which 15,000 are currently still on sale in Paris. The company was “disappointed” by the decision, said Tier Manager Haas. Tier Mobility took over the Leipzig rental bike provider Nextbike at the end of 2021 and since then has offered not only e-scooters and e-bikes but also sharing bikes operated with pure muscle power in its portfolio.
Last year, however, Tier also felt the effects of the tough competitive environment for e-scooters and the changed financing conditions for start-ups and had to make significant savings. The Berlin start-up gave up its aggressive growth and expansion strategy and now wants to become profitable above all. Tier cut 180 jobs and gave up its business with e-mopeds, which had also been part of the portfolio until then. In some regions, the company has partially reduced its range.
(tiw)
