Bolt launches dockless e-scooters in Madrid

Bolt, the ride-share company which was formerly called Taxify, has launched electric kick scooters in central Madrid. The firm piloted the vehicles in Paris last year – making it the first to combine scooter sharing and ride-hailing together in one mobile app, Bolt claims. “Beating the traffic is a big issue in cities like Madrid and a lot of trips are much more efficiently covered with an electric scooter rather than a car with a driver,” says Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder of Bolt. He says the dep
April 2, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Bolt, the ride-share company which was formerly called Taxify, has launched electric kick scooters in central Madrid.

The firm piloted the vehicles in Paris last year – making it the first to combine scooter sharing and ride-hailing together in one mobile app, Bolt claims.

“Beating the traffic is a big issue in cities like Madrid and a lot of trips are much more efficiently covered with an electric scooter rather than a car with a driver,” says Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder of Bolt.

He says the deployment in the Spanish capital reduces car rides and saves customers time and money.

Bolt, which now has ride-hailing services in 30 countries, pointed out the pitfalls of user %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external data false http://www.itsinternational.com/sections/transmart/news/bolt-pledges-not-to-serve-up-eyeballs-for-advertisers/ false false%> collection at 1846 ITS International’s 8545 MaaS Market conference in London in March. It says that being sensitive to the local micromobility ecosystem is an important factor for firms in the space.

“Our company’s experience in Paris, where we’ve been cooperating with the city to establish good practices for scooter use, has shown us that it’s crucial to have a good working relationship with the local government,” says Paul Alvarez, Bolt’s operations manager for Spain.

“This way you can really be targeting the pain points in city traffic and provide best value to citizens. In Madrid, we are not focusing on city centre only, but are aiming to expand our service to all areas which have limited transportation options.”

Bolt scooters come with built-in GPS trackers to provide data on pick-up and drop-off locations. Minimum fare is €1, with a ride costing 15 cents per minute.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bosch to trial driverless tech on Australia’s high-speed rural roads
    January 24, 2019
    Bosch has received an automated driving system (ADS) permit from the Victorian government to test automated vehicle technology on high-speed rural roads in the south-eastern Australian state. Bosch is to use a $2.3 million grant from the Connected and Automated Vehicle (C/AV) Trial Grants Programme to develop the technology, which will be tested later this year. The C/AV programme funded through the government’s $1.4 million Towards Zero Action Plan – an initiative which provides guidelines on how V
    Read More
  • LAX bans ride-hailing pick-ups at terminals
    October 8, 2019
    Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is to ban ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft from picking up passengers outside its terminals. The draconian move, which is planned to come into force later this month, is in a bid to reduce congestion at the airport - although the Los Angeles Times reports that passengers will still be able to book rides home from a parking lot near Terminal 1, which can be reached by airport shuttle. Questions over ride-hailing’s contribution to gridlock continue to
    Read More
  • Careem expands Iraq ride-share operation
    October 10, 2019
    Dubai-based ride-hailing company Careem has expanded into the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to a report by Arabian Business. The company is hoping to provide technology-based mobility options for riders and offer flexible employment opportunities for local drivers. Careem Iraq’s general manager Mohamed Al-Hakim says: “We hope that our entry will spur other companies to follow suit.” Careem expanded its service into the Iraqi city of Basra earlier this year, following its introduction in Najaf and
    Read More
  • Europe’s number one leading Mobility as a Service conference says the future of transport lies in delivering change
    January 19, 2018
    First hand reports on the rapid progress being made, as well as the obstacles being faced, by Mobility as a Service projects across Europe dominate the agenda of the second “MaaS Market Concept to Delivery” conference taking place in London next month. Speakers will cover the political and regulatory implications, open data, technology and common standards, demand responsive transport and future business models. This is Europe’s number one leading MaaS event and it includes presentations from Port
    Read More

Highlighted Content