Image credit: TIER Mobility
Berlin-based TIER Mobility, a shared micro-mobility company, announced on Wednesday that it has started its services in Almere in the Netherlands. The company says 50 electric shared bicycles will be available in the city. This will be scaled up to 300 e-bikes in the coming weeks.
By the end of May, TIER will also offer 300 electric shared mopeds. The company’s e-bikes and e-mopeds can be found near central transport hubs and other busy areas in Almere. Parking zones have been defined in the city centre in close collaboration with city officials. Free-float parking is possible outside of the city centre.
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Speaking on the development, Jesper Vis, TIER’s GM for Benelux, says, “Cars do not belong in the city centre. But in order to achieve this, a worthy alternative is needed. Our shared bicycles – and later shared mopeds – now offer an environmentally friendly alternative. That is also where TIER and the city of Almere’s vision come together. We want to change mobility for good and Almere wants to create a healthy and green city through shared mobility.”
About TIER Mobility
Founded in 2018 by Lawrence Leuschner, Julian Blessin and Matthias Laug, TIER Mobility is a shared micro-mobility provider of e-scooters, e-bikes and e-mopeds integrated with 30 different public transport providers.
Through its platform, the company allows integration of all micro-mobility assets. This enables it to enter strategic partnerships with public transportation providers and other mobility providers, such as Sixt – a German multinational car rental company.
To try out TIER, download the app, find an e-bike or e-moped on the map and unlock it by scanning the QR code. To end the ride, find a safe place to park, fold the kickstand back down, open the TIER app and tap “End Ride”. The activation costs are €1 and then a rate of 21 cents per minute for an e-bike and 30 cents per minute for an e-moped applies.
TIER is now active in more than 190 cities in 20 countries in Europe and the Middle East, with a focus on providing the “safest, fairest and most sustainable mobility solution”. The company has been backed by investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Mubadala Capital, Northzone, Goodwater Capital, and White Star Capital. To date, the company has raised a total of $660M in equity and debt.
Fully climate neutral
In order to reduce transport costs and emissions, TIER Mobility deploys a local team of permanent employees who drive electric cargo bikes and electric vans through Almere to replace empty batteries. This means, TIER’s e-bikes and e-mopeds won’t be sent to a warehouse to be charged. Partly because of this, TIER has been completely climate-neutral since January 2020.
Recent developments
Earlier this month, the Berlin-based company acquired California-based Fantasmo, a mapping company that has built an efficient Camera Positioning System (CPS). This was TIER’s fourth acquisition made in recent months. With this deal, TIER looks to develop an accurate e-scooter parking system to tackle the challenges of sidewalk riding and tandem riding with Fantasmo’s upcoming computer vision-powered rider assistance system.
In March, 2022, TIER entered the North American market with the acquisition of Ford-owned shared electric bike and scooter operator, Spin. The company will partner with cities in two new countries – Canada and the US – to deliver its services.
In October, 2021, the company partnered with Dutch transport app Gaiyo, a company that develops smart technological solutions for mobility, a partnership that will enable arranging TIER’s electric shared scooters and bikes via Gaiyo’s mobility app.
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