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

  • Getaround brings car-sharing service to San Diego
    November 7, 2018
    Getaround has expanded its peer-to-peer car-sharing service in San Diego in the US. The service allows car owners to earn money by renting vehicles to people in their neighbourhood. The company says it expects many car owners who subscribe to the service to earn more than £1,000 per month. Each car is equipped with Getaround Connect, a proprietary technology which allows renters to locate and unlock the vehicle by using the company’s app. James Correa, the firm’s general manager of Southern Califor
    Read More
  • Scania to deploy more than 700 gas buses to Bogotá
    January 8, 2019
    Scania is to deliver 741 Euro 6 gas buses to Bogotá, Colombia, in a deal which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by up 20%. This deployment serves as an extension to an initial order placed by TransMilenio for the procurement of 481 Euro 6 gas buses and is part of the city’s bus rapid transit (BRT) renewal programme. Masivo Bogotá will operate the 260 bi-articulated Scania F340 HA 8x2 buses across 18 stations on the Américas BRT line. Carlos Ocampo, Scania Colombia's managing director, says:
    Read More
  • Cohda Wireless to trial AVs which can talk to each other in Australia
    October 15, 2018
    Cohda Wireless is to trial two autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Australia this month. The MKZ Sedans can communicate with traffic lights and each other – and the company also expects them to be able to detect pedestrians around blind corners. The initiative, approved by the South Australian government, will take place in Adelaide’s central business district on closed-off roads. Dr Paul Gray, chief executive officer of Cohda Wireless, told ABC that the technology is intended to reduce the chance of huma
    Read More
  • C40 mayors make global ‘clean air’ pledge
    October 11, 2019
    In a move that will have significant implications for urban transit, 35 mayors at this week’s C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen have pledged to “implement substantive clean air policies by 2025”. Among other developments, this is likely to mean further increases in low- or zero-carbon public transport and zero-emissions zones, along with enhanced incentives and infrastructure to support walking and cycling, in cities worldwide. Signing the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration, the mayors signalled their
    Read More

Highlighted Content