Tag: bolt

Bolt’s eBikes hit the East Coast with Wexford & Bray launches

Bolt, the European mobility champion, will launch two new shared electric bike schemes in Wexford Town and Bray in Spring 2023. These schemes add to Bolt’s successful existing operations in Sligo and Kilkenny, bringing its total Irish fleet to 400 electric bikes across 4 regional towns.

There are 200 electric bikes earmarked for the year-long pilots with up to 100 in each town. Bray will form the first Irish location where the Bolt app provides both taxis and eBikes, a multimodal offering that has proved highly valuable across European cities.

Since launching shared mobility schemes in the summer of 2022 in Sligo and Kilkenny, over 105,000 km have been travelled on Bolt’s eBikes. With surveyed users opting for this sustainable mode of transport over cars, Bolt schemes have saved 14,800 km of car trips in Ireland to date, approximately 1,545 kg of CO2*.

Bolt has previously earmarked up to €5m in its bid to roll out electric bike operations across Irish cities and towns with up to 2000 bikes available to deploy immediately as required.

The Government recently committed to promoting e-mobility solutions in cities and towns and will be relying on such schemes to provide essential alternatives for commuters as Demand Management solutions are considered in the coming year.

Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District, Cllr Erika Doyle, said,  ‘With a number of cycle schemes planned for the area, such as linking the stunning seafront and harbour area with neighbouring Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and a cycle link planned with Greystones, Bray is the perfect location for a shared electric bike scheme. Aside from being a sustainable alternative to car trips, electric bikes can offer a more accessible option for many. They can also assist when tackling some of Bray’s hilly stretches. The simpler and more convenient we can make accessing electric bikes, the more likely people are to use them. I’m delighted that both local residents and visitors to the town will soon have the option to avail of Bolt’s eBikes.”

Claire Goodwin, Cycling & Walking Officer from Wexford County Council said, “Wexford County Council is delighted to provide local residents and visitors with a sustainable mode of transport. We are seeing a real enthusiasm for making the change from private car use if there is a convenient and affordable alternative. With the introduction of Bolt’s Bikes on a trial basis for Wexford town, we hope people will try them out and perhaps change how they travel, where possible”

Bolt Operations Manager for Rentals in Ireland, John Buckley, said, “We’re very excited to take Bolt to the East Coast, and we’re working closely with Wicklow and Wexford County Councils to roll out the service as soon as possible. Bolt’s shared electric bike offerings in both Sligo and Kilkenny are proving extremely popular and our user surveys show our eBikes are reducing the reliance on private cars and supporting the National Climate Action Plan. One user has clocked up over 400 rides alone and we expect to see similar levels of  utilisation on the East Coast!”

Bolt is in talks with several other councils keen to accelerate their active travel services in line with the National Development Plan and the Climate Action Plan. Bolt is keen to add electric scooters to its operations when legislation is in place later in 2023. Electric bikes and electric scooters cover a fuller range of travel options across most European cities and could help significantly move Irish transport users away from private car use.

Bolt is a leading European mobility champion operating a range of services including electric bikes, electric scooters, ride-hailing and car clubs for over 100 million people across 500 cities in 50 countries in Europe and Africa. The company currently operates ride-hailing taxi services in Dublin and Cork and is seeking to bring electric bikes, and in time, electric scooters to cities and towns across Ireland.

How to rent a Bolt electric bike

Users need the Bolt app, available on app stores, and a payment card tied to an account.

Follow these steps to start riding a Bolt electric bike:

 

  • Open the app and tap on the electric bike icon to locate your closest bike;

  • Scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it;

  • Carefully read through the safety tips;

  • When you’re ready to roll, push off and go!

Continuing Bolt’s reputation of offering affordable micromobility service across continents, Bolt is the most affordable provider of shared electric bikes in Ireland, thanks to having low rates and no unlock fee. The per-minute rental price is the lowest on the market at just 0.15 EUR/minute during the launch campaign.

Bolt highlights tips for safe electric bike use this winter

Bolt, the European mobility champion, is encouraging electric bike users to take extra precautions before mounting bikes this winter season as the traditional period of colder and unsettled weather kicks in over winter.

Bolt currently operates two shared e-bike schemes in Ireland, Sligo having launched in June 2022 with 65 e-bikes and Kilkenny in August 2022 with 50 e-bikes. Users on the schemes have travelled a combined distance of over 100,000 km to date.

Speaking on e-bike safety ahead of the current winter season, Operations Manager for Rentals for Bolt Ireland, John Buckley, said: “We have been overwhelmingly delighted with the uptake of our electric bike schemes in Sligo and Kilkenny to-date. Electric bikes and other forms of micromobility remain a viable alternative mode of transport for short to medium-length journeys year-round, but there are a few extra actions users can take to ensure maximum safety during the colder, and often wetter, winter months.

Electric Bike safety tips for winter

Ahead of the winter months, John Buckley provided some tips for users to ensure safety while using electric bikes this winter.

What is Bolt doing to ensure electric bike safety in Ireland this Christmas party season?

Cognitive Reaction Testing

Ahead of the Christmas season, Bolt is extending the operating hours for its built-in cognitive reaction testing from 12am – 4am to 10pm – 5am.  This is to deter the usage of electric bikes if the potential user has been drinking alcoholic beverages.

Bolt operates its e-bikes during nighttime hours as a means of transportation for late-night workers, including those working in the hospitality industry and essential services such as healthcare.

Bolt asks that people refrain from using e-bikes when under the influence of alcohol. If a user or friend fails the cognitive reaction test they will be unable to hire a bike and Bolt urges people to find an alternative mode of transport such as a taxi, public transport or walking if the distance isn’t too far.

For user safety and the safety of others, be responsible and do not take the cognitive reaction test on behalf of someone who is too intoxicated to use an electric bike.

Electric Bike Maintenance

To cycle safely in any weather, it’s essential to maintain electric bikes properly. Maintenance usually means checking for a few simple things to prevent issues later down the line. Bolt’s technical team regularly looks over all bikes to ensure they are safe to cycle.

As a cyclist, it is still important to do a quick check before each cycle to ensure the brakes work, and that the wheels move smoothly and this is also hugely important if you hit the trails with an eMTB.

If anything appears broken or not working quite as it should, users can easily report it through the Bolt app. Tap the little warning sign in the electric bike section, report an issue, and Bolt’s team will take care of it.

Using Electric Bikes in the Rain and Cold Weather

In typical winter weather, Bolt e-bikes are safe to cycle as they are built to be able to withstand rain. Users will still want to avoid extreme weather: torrential rain, high-standing water, and going to places with a danger of flooding.

Besides dressing warmly — with special attention to keeping hands warm by wearing gloves — It is important to be on the lookout for ice during cold snaps.

When temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing levels after rain or snowfall, black ice may form. Always avoid cycling on ice.

Cold weather can also affect e-bike batteries shortening the range a bike can travel. Keep this in mind when planning a longer cycle.

Here are Bolt’s top tips on how to stay safe and comfortable riding an electric bike in rain and cold weather:

 

  • Lower your speed. As the pavement can get slippy, lower speeds are safer. Wet tarmac provides less traction, so be extra mindful when turning. The Bolt app allows users to lower the maximum speed of the bike.

  • Brake early. Less traction also means slightly longer stopping times. All Bolt bikes have front and rear brakes to ensure safety, even in the highly unlikely case that one of them should fail.

  • Keep space between you and other road users so users can comfortably swerve or stop when needed to.

  • Stay visible. Rain also means lower visibility. Wear reflective clothing or reflectors. Bolt bikes have front and rear lights and side reflectors.

  • Dress for the occasion. Keep yourself warm and dry by choosing suitable clothing for the weather.

Using Electric Bikes in the Dark

The key to bike safety in low light conditions is increasing visibility.

 

  • Stay aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye out for slippery surfaces and debris.

  • Cycle In well-lit areas. Choose streets with good lighting for a cycle. This will help users to have a clear overview of their surroundings as well as visibility.

  • Be visible and audible. All Bolt bikes are equipped with front and rear lights as well as a bell. Use the bell to make yourself known to fellow cyclists and pedestrians.

  • Dress for the occasion.  As per Road Safety Authority guidelines, wearing a high-vis vest or bright clothing provides cyclists with the best chance of being seen in darker conditions.

Check out our latest review of a light that is also super effective

Bolt upcycles retired scooters to create first jewellery collection

Bolt has partnered with award-winning Estonian designer Tanel Veenre to upcycle its old scooter models into earrings, bracelets and pendants.

The collection, called Hardwear, includes over 100 hand-crafted pieces that have been made from the same ultra-lightweight, ultra-durable aircraft-grade aluminium used in Bolt’s fleet of over 230,000 scooters.

The collection includes pieces that have been finished with reflective coating for extra visibility at night, keeping wearers safe as they move around their city at night during the darker hours.

Bolt’s creative lead on the project, Kerttu Keermaa, said: “The Hardwear collection is built on the same guiding principles as Bolt scooters: sustainability and safety. The upcycling process follows a zero-waste approach, with any leftover material undergoing our regular recycling process. We believe that road safety is a shared responsibility and wearing reflective items can make pedestrians and cyclists more visible at night.”

Bolt currently operates in 500 cities across 45 countries in Europe and Africa, including Dublin. The European mobility champion operates ride hailing services in Dublin and Cork, as well as electric bike schemes in Sligo and Kilkenny.

The jewellery has been created in collaboration with award-winning Estonian designer Tanel Veenre. Tanel’s signature whimsical style has been exhibited in over 300 solo and group exhibitions around the world. He has been awarded at London Fashion Week and is the recipient of the several international and local design contests including the Estonian Cultural Awards.

To create each piece, Tanel began by removing the distinctive green paint from Bolt scooters before cutting and shaping the metal and anodizing and painting the jewellery by hand.

Following this first collection, Tanel will continue to create jewellery from Bolt’s old scooter models. These will be available for sale on his website from Thursday 27th October.

Designer Tanel Veenre said: “Scooters are becoming increasingly popular across Europe and as newer generations are created older models become outdated. These old models are always recycled but it was great to use the quality materials that make up a Bolt scooter for this unique project. It was something completely out of the ordinary for me and I learned so much about working with aluminum – something I’d never done – and worked with geometric forms which is unusual for me.” 

Bolt operates scooters and e-bikes in more than 230 cities across 25 countries in Europe. It is the largest scooter provider on the continent with over 230,000 scooters in operation

Bolt to launch pilot e-bike scheme in Kilkenny

Bolt, the European mobility champion, today announced it will launch its second electric bike scheme in Kilkenny ahead of the Kilkenny Arts Festival starting on August 4th.

The 80-bike pilot will kick off in the coming week and will trial new virtual parking solutions to provide both flexibility and ease of use for cyclists and ensure the scheme is mindful of pedestrians and other road users.

This service will help to deliver on the Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021 – 2027, which prioritises sustainable transport and continued development of walking and cycling infrastructure in support of the 10-minute city concept.

Caitriona Corr, Cycling Officer with Kilkenny County Council, said, “We are delighted that people will have another choice of transport in Kilkenny.  It has been shown that e-bike users cycle further and more often so the benefit will be not just to our city but also people’s wellbeing. e-bikes can be of great assistance to people with reduced mobility and can make more arduous journeys very enjoyable.”

Bolt has continued  to strengthen its Irish team with the recent appointment of John Buckley as Operations Manager for Rentals in Ireland, who said, “Kilkenny is our second Irish market and one where we believe e-bikes can make a transformational difference to travel options and wellbeing. We are also conscious that Kilkenny is a medieval city and as such presents new challenges from an operational perspective. The learnings we will gather from Kilkenny will give Bolt a stronger understanding of the concerns some Local Authorities may have when it comes to introducing shared e-bike schemes into the public realm where space may be limited, and will leave Bolt as an experienced operator of such.

Buckley added, “Electric bikes play an essential role in reducing the reliance on private vehicles when travelling short to medium distances. We are keen that our e-bikes provide sustainable and affordable solutions in regional towns and cities too — there is no reason that such services should only be available in the capital.”

The launch marks Bolt’s second e-bike launch after it launched in Sligo earlier this year. The Sligo pilot has proven highly successful in its first month with 14,633 kms travelled by electric bike in the town in the first month alone — the equivalent of cycling from Sligo to Australia.

Bolt is a leading European mobility champion operating a range of services including e-bikes, eScooters, ride-hailing and car clubs for over 100 million people across 200 cities. The company currently operates ride-hailing taxi services in Dublin and Cork and is seeking to bring electric bikes, and in time, electric scooters to cities and towns across Ireland. The launch in Kilkenny comes as part of a wider push for Bolt to deploy 16,000 e-bikes across Europe in 2022, following recent fundraising.

Bolt will commit up to €5m in its bid to roll out e-bike operations across Irish cities and towns. Up to 2000 bikes are available immediately following Bolt’s recent fundraise and investment in micromobility with founder Markus Villig recently committing €150m to expand its light vehicle fleet across Europe.

How to rent a Bolt e-bike

To rent a Bolt e-bike, users need the Bolt app, available on app stores, and a payment card tied to an account.

Follow these steps to start riding a Bolt e-bike:

 

  • Open the app and tap on the e-bike icon to locate your closest bike;

  • Scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it;

  • Carefully read through the safety tips;

  • When you’re ready to roll, push off and go!

Continuing Bolt’s reputation of offering affordable micromobility service across continents, Bolt is the most affordable provider of shared electric bikes in Ireland, thanks to having low rates and no unlock fee. The per-minute rental price is the lowest on the market at just 0.15 EUR/minute during the launch campaign.

About Bolt e-bikes

Bolt e-bikes have been designed with a clear focus on safety. Solid rear and front wheel drum brakes help control the speed efficiently. Puncture-proof pneumatic tyres translate into better grip and durability.

The e-bike is also equipped with a functional dashboard providing information about speed, battery level and speed zones, showing the user all the information needed to enjoy the ride. Bolt e-bikes are equipped with high-precision GPS which helps users find the bikes easily on the street.

Bolt has also launched the in-app cognitive reaction test which aims to prevent users from riding an e-bike or scooter while intoxicated. If a customer ‘fails’ the test the app encourages them to choose other means of transport e.g. taxi. The test is an added safety layer designed to protect both riders and pedestrians.

The new e-bike model introduced by Bolt has a long lifespan of up to 5 years, which makes it highly sustainable. The e-bike is also produced from 100% recyclable aluminium. Integrating a swappable battery in the e-bike’s design results in fewer operations needed for battery charging. This translates into a decreased overall carbon footprint since the e-bikes do not need to be frequently transported to a warehouse for charging. The high-capacity battery additionally offers a range of up to 90 km per charge.

The e-bike also features beginner modes permitting max speeds of up to 15 km per hour, which can be activated in the Bolt app. Geo-fencing technology enables the prevention of high speeds in designated ‘go-slow’ zones where pedestrian footfall may be high, such as the High Street and the Parade.

Bolt appoint John Buckley to Operations Manager for Rentals in Ireland

Bolt, the European mobility champion, continues to strengthen its Irish team with the appointment of John Buckley as Operations Manager for Rentals in Ireland. John joins Bolt following the launch of the firm’s first Irish electric bike rollout in Sligo, with a number of other cities and towns under consideration

Buckley joins from Bleeper, where he was responsible for the management and supervision of all aspects of daily operations for public bike share schemes throughout the administrative areas of Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, whilst ensuring the service met the strict requirements as set out by the Local Authorities.

He joins Bolt as it prepares to invest €5m in expanding its e-bike and scooter operations in Ireland as part of a bid to build a multimodal platform that can provide a sustainable alternative to private car ownership. Bolt is the largest micromobility operator across continental Europe, with services in more than 200 cities and 20 European countries.

Announcing John Buckley’s appointment, Tomas Veloso  Director of Rentals for Bolt said, “As we aim to bring a multi-modal mobility app to cities across Ireland, John will be integral to guiding the strategy behind our electric bike and scooter roll outs, ensuring Bolt thoughtfully and safely integrates with the infrastructure, transport system and wellbeing of the public.”

On joining the team, John Buckley said; “Bolt is at an exciting point in its development in Ireland, with really ambitious plans for growth. I’m eager to unlock the positive benefits micromobility options can bring to the country, whilst staying acutely aware of any concerns held by Irish cities and towns about the introduction of new transport modes.”

John brings a wealth of experience in sustainable transport options and reaffirms Bolt’s long term commitment to the Irish market. He will be responsible for the management of Bolt’s first Irish e-bike rental service in Sligo and the rollout of further e-bike and scooter services throughout Ireland in the coming months.

More About Bolt’s Irish Plans

Bolt offers a range of mobility services including ride-hailing, shared cars, e-bikes, scooters, and food and grocery delivery to more than 75 million customers in over 45 countries across Europe and Africa.

Bolt currently offers ride hailing services in Dublin and Cork, and an e-bike rental service in Sligo. Ride hailing operations are headed by James Bowpitt, who manages a specialist team in Dublin.

Bolt recently announced that it will  commit up to €5m in its bid to roll out e-bike operations across Irish cities and towns. Up to 2000 bikes are available immediately following Bolt’s recent fundraise and investment in micromobility with founder Markus Villig recently committing €150m to expand its light vehicle fleet across Europe.

Launching a 100 e-bike rental service in Sligo in June, Bolt has confirmed it is in talks with several other councils keen to accelerate its active travel services in line with the National Development Plan and the Climate Action Plan. Should all current tender applications be successful, Bolt envisages an additional 50 employees, as well as a significant expansion of its head office facilities in Dublin.

Bolt is keen to add e-scooters to its operations when legislation is in place. Bikes and electric scooters cover a fuller range of travel options across most European cities and could help significantly move Irish transport users away from private car use.

The Bolt app is available on iOS and Android.

Bolt to launch pilot e-bike service in Sligo

Bolt, the largest micromobility operator in Europe, will launch its first Irish electric bike service in Sligo at the beginning of June. Representatives discussed the 100 bike pilot scheme for the town at today’s ‘Let’s Play Sligo’ event to mark National Bike Week.

Sligo has been one of the leading regional proponents of sustainable transport options and sees potential for commuting, recreation and tourism alike. The pilot will kick off in the coming weeks and will trial a range of parking options to both provide flexibility and ease of use for cyclists and ensure the scheme is mindful of pedestrians and other road users. This includes an investment by Bolt in lasting bike parking infrastructure for Sligo.

Bolt is a leading European mobility champion operating a range of services including e-bikes, e-scooters, ride-hailing and car clubs for over 100m people across 170 cities. The company currently operates ride-hailing taxi services in Dublin and Cork and is seeking to bring electric bikes and in time, electric scooters to cities and towns across Ireland. The launch in Sligo comes as part of a wider push for Bolt to deploy 16,000 e-bikes across Europe in 2022, following a recent fundraise.

Head of Public Policy for Ireland at Bolt, Aisling Dunne, said, “Sligo is an ideal town in which to launch Bolt’s e-bikes in Ireland; with the growing university, recently increased investment in cycling infrastructure and real public support for making sustainable choices. We’re excited to support a forward-thinking council determined to provide alternatives to private car use. 

We know from Bolt research that only 1 in 10 Irish car owners currently see themselves being able to give up their private vehicle. According to Sligo’s Vision 2030 survey, cycling constituted only 1% of transport for those attending education or work and only 2% in Sligo Town. We need to do more to help people make that change for the many short and accessible journeys made every day. Alternative options like electric bikes and shared micromobility services such as electric scooters are a crucial part of forming an ecosystem, which will change habits, improve air quality and translate into less congestion.”

The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor, Paul Taylor, said, “This is an excellent initiative which will enable us to promote the many benefits of sustainable travel to the people of County Sligo, and I would like to commend the Project Team for bringing it to fruition.”

Sligo County Council Chief Executive, Martin Lydon, said, “I expect the shared electric bike scheme to be hugely popular, and will provide the impetus for this Council to explore and introduce further sustainable travel initiatives in the future.”

How to rent a Bolt e-bike

To rent a Bolt e-bike, users need the Bolt app, available on app stores, and a payment card tied to an account.

Follow these steps to start riding a Bolt e-bike:

 

  • Open the app and tap on the e-bike icon to locate your closest bike;

  • Scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it;

  • Carefully read through the safety tips;

  • When you’re ready to roll, push off and go!

Bolt is the most affordable provider of shared electric bikes, thanks to having low rates and  no unlock fee. The per-minute rental price is the lowest on the market at just 0.15 EUR/minute during the launch campaign.

Bolt, the mobility super-app, has pledged to plant a tree every time the Bolt app is used on Earth Day

Bolt, the mobility super-app, has pledged to plant a tree every time the Bolt app is used on Earth Day this Friday. The global initiative will be live across all Bolt products in Ireland and will result in millions of trees being planted.

The pledge will be delivered in partnership with Seedballs, a reforestation project in Kenya.

Seedballs Kenya is the first in a series of nature-based solutions Bolt is investing in to generate better impacts for the environment as part of the company’s commitment to neutralise the impact of its own operations.

Working closely with Seedballs Kenya, Bolt will facilitate the spread of 25 Tons of indigenous seeds to damaged land across Kenya where natural reforestation is unlikely to occur, the equivalent to planting 11.25 million trees. The Earth Day initiative will result in millions more trees being planted.

Seedballs

James Bowpitt – Ireland Country Manager – Bolt, said: “Having a positive environmental impact is a core part of Bolt’s mission: to build cities for people, not cars. In addition to helping reduce emissions in cities by providing alternatives to private car ownership, we are committed to alleviating the environmental impact of our operations through projects like Seedballs and are pleased to go one step further to mark Earth Day with this new initiative.”

Teddy Kinyanjui, Co-founder – Seedballs said: “In Kenya, like many other countries, the forests and grasslands are under great pressure. One of the many challenges of landscape scale restoration is that indigenous seeds are often food for different types of animals like mice and birds. That’s where we come in. The Seedballs program overcomes this challenge by coating native seeds in waste charcoal dust which prevents the seeds from being eaten. This means that the native grass and tree seeds can be planted year round rather than waiting for the rainy season. When it rains enough, the charcoal dust dissolves and the seed sinks into the ground back to its natural state, ready to grow.”

For Bolt, this project is the latest example of the business’ commitment to reducing its overall impact on the environment which started with the launch of its Green Plan in 2019. By investing millions into the Green Plan, Bolt has adapted its operations to minimise its impact on the environment, neutralising over 4.5 billion km of rides; becoming the first e-scooter platform to operate climate positive e-scooters in December 2020; and launching e-bikes across Europe in 2021.

60% of short taxi trips could be replaced by an electric scooter

Bolt, the largest scooter operator in Europe, and the Institute of Transport Economics, TOI, have shown that in-app encouragement will cause up to 60% of users to shift from ride-hailing to scooters for shorter trips. A shift in mobility habits was observed for long-term app usage as well. In Oslo and Lisbon, users performed additional scooter searches for similar trips after the initial encouragement was performed in-app.

Last year, Bolt ran a pilot program aiming to switch shorter ride-hailing trips to scooter trips. During this modal shift study, randomly selected groups of Bolt customers from 10 European cities have received in-app encouragement to switch from ride-hailing to a scooter for trips shorter than three kilometers. Groups actively encouraged were compared to groups that didn’t receive the encouragement, which allowed scientists to measure the shift in mobility habits.

The data resulting from the three waves of piloting was then independently analyzed by the Institute of Transport Economics, TØI, in Oslo, Norway. According to the final results, up to 60% of users on average shifted from a ride hail to a scooter for short trips if the scooter was 300 meters away or closer.

The implications of the findings are considerable. In Europe, most car trips are less than five kilometers long. Around 25% of Bolt car-hailing trips globally are shorter than three kilometers. This means that encouraging users to adapt their shared mobility option to their trip distance has a considerable impact on the environment. According to Bolt’s data, a scooter’s CO2 emissions are on average three times lower than a car’s CO2 emissions.

Martin Villig, Co-Founder of Bolt said: “Bolt is on a mission to advocate for better cities built around people. Encouraging customers to use scooters to replace personal vehicles and short car trips is part of that mission. We are constantly working with cities to make sure our scooters fit in the urban transportation ecosystem. The report we are launching today confirms that our app is the ideal tool to help build more sustainable commuting habits because customers can be encouraged to shift from cars to scooters, according to the distance they travel. This can significantly reduce pollution but also help manage urban congestion.”

The most successful findings come from cities where there is a high availability of shared scooters. In Lisbon, for example, in-app encouragement led to a 210% increase of users opting for a scooter instead of a shared car ride.

Significant results were also observed in the Scandinavian markets: Stockholm (up to 40% bigger chances of the customer opting for micromobility), Gothenburg (54%), Oslo (42%). In Krakow, the encouragement increased the probability of using a scooter up to 68% and in Madrid 41%.

Bjørn Gjerde Johansen, Chief Research Economist at the research area Economic Models at the Institute of Transport Economics, TØI said: “TØI carries out research aiming to advise authorities, the transport industry and the public at large. This report analyses data from an experiment in which Bolt`s app-users were encouraged to switch from ride hailing to e-scooters. We found the share of users choosing e-scooters to be higher in virtually all experiments and the results demonstrate that encouraging users through changing information in multimodal interfaces can be an effective way of switching users away from cars, at no cost to the user.” 

 

Aisling Dunne, Head of Public Policy for Ireland, said: “This research is aimed at advising authorities, the transport industry and the public at large. It shows that multi-modal platforms have the power to nudge people towards more sustainable and appropriate modes of transport, depending on their needs. For short journeys, where there are alternatives, we now unequivocally see that users will make the switch. As local authorities across Ireland consider the best way to meet our ambitious Climate Action Plan targets, this research shows them the potential for shared mobility services to really shift users’ behaviour.”

Bolt and the Institute of Transport Economics will continue to work together on a modal shift program aimed at improving mobility habits for cities.

This project is aligned to the approach of the new European Urban Mobility Framework released in December 2021. The framework considers new mobility services as part of a multimodal, integrated approach to sustainable urban mobility, reinforcing public transport and substituting car use. By working to build a modal shift program, Bolt is contri