Skip to main content

Tier Mobility takes over Spin

German firm's latest acquisition means it rides into North America with Ford-owned group
By Adam Hill March 3, 2022 Read time: 2 mins
Tier says it is now the largest micromobility player in the world, with more than 500 cities and 300,000 vehicles (© ITS International)

European firm Tier Mobility is riding into North America for the first time by buying Spin for an undisclosed sum.

Last year, Berlin-based Tier snapped up German micromobility firm Nextbike - but buying Ford-owned Spin gives it a new foothold in more than 100 places across the US and Canada.

Tier says it is now the largest player in the global sector, active in more than 500 cities and with 300,000 vehicles.

Modernising the Spin fleet with 100% swappable batteries is "one of many upcoming projects to achieve environmental sustainability and efficiency in the North American micromobility industry", the firms said in a statement.

Lawrence Leuschner, Tier CEO and co-founder, said the acquisition and entry into North America are "huge milestones in our mission to change mobility for good". 

His counterpart at Spin, Ben Bear, said both companies "share the same foundational view of how to deliver world-class micromobility services to cities and riders".

Helping people make the switch away from car journeys by offering sustainable alternatives is a key goal, both men insisted.

Franck Louis-Victor, vice president, new businesses at Ford Motor Company spoke of the "incredible synergies"

"This new era will provide scale that’s desperately needed in the competitive micromobility sector," he added. "We are pleased to remain in the mix as a strategic investor in Tier and look forward to their continued growth.”

As well as purchasing Nextbike, Tier also bought Italian market leader Wind Mobility last year.

In October, Tier announced the first close of its $200 million Series D funding round, making a total raised of $660 million in equity and debt.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • V2X key to NoTraffic's Canada service
    July 7, 2022
    IoT platform provider links with telecoms firm Rogers to deploy urban mobility solutions
  • Siemens: self-driving minibuses are the future of first-/last-mile
    February 26, 2020
    Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens Mobility, talks to ITS International about safety and why it is important for cities to offer additional shared and connected transit options.
  • ATFI disputes toll survey findings
    September 15, 2014
    According to a recent poll by infrastructure group HNTB, 79 per cent of US residents would support "would support the addition of a toll on a non-tolled surface transportation facility if it resulted in a safer, congestion-free and more reliable trip." The poll also found 83 per cent of its respondents would also support tolls on highways that are currently free, which has been a source of contentious debate in Washington. HNTB Toll Services Chairman Jim Ely said the finding bolstered the argument o
  • Cohda Wireless: 'New York has the best urban canyons'
    July 21, 2020
    Dr Paul Alexander, chief technical officer of Cohda Wireless, talks to Adam Hill about DSRC versus C-V2X, global connected vehicle take-up, the uses of WiFi – and, of course, seeing round the Big Apple's buildings...