Conventional scooters are being replaced by electric scooters in recent times for reasons such as lesser pollution, reduced impact on the environment and more. Though battery-operated scooters are becoming popular all over the world, Europe is progressing to become a significant market for the electric scooter companies. And, many electric scooter startups are budding in the European countries to set the trend.
One such electric scooter rental startup is Tier with its roots in Berlin. In a recent development, Tier has raised a Series A funding of €25 million from VC fund Northzone along with SpeedInvest and Point Nine. Tier plans to scaleup its team and expand its services to additional cities in Europe.
#1 Aims to change urban commuting
Tier founded by Lawrence Leuschner, Julian Blessin and Matthias Laug provides electric scooters for rent on demand to reach the last mile in the cities. Last week, the service was launched in Vienna with 250 green electric scooters.
Being an electric scooter rental startup, Tier focuses on bringing a change in the current situation that we see in the polluted cities. Well, we have seen situations such as smog and inconvenient and overpriced transportation modes in the polluted cities.
In a statement, Lawrence Leuschner, CEO of Tier said, “Urban mobility is broken and our vision with Tier is to change urban mobility for good.” This startup aims to offer an independent, conscious and fun way of urban commuting.
#2 Works with the companion app
In order to use hire the electric scooters offered by Tier, users need to download and install the companion app on their smartphones. After installing, users will have to sign up by creating an account. Only then, they will be able to locate the nearest available e-scooter. Notably, this is what almost all mobility startups do as it will render a better user experience and let customers know the location, rent an e-scooter and also request a ride easily.
#3 Tier tariff is quite competitive
Initially, Tier users have to pay a fixed amount of €1 to unlock an e-scooter. And, there is a fee of €0.15 per minute for a ride. Notably, this is a competitive pricing as it is the same pricing that some of its rivals such as Bird and Lime charge their users.
#4 Ensures sidewalks are free
Electric scooter startups do face a major difficulty. Well, it is the irregular parking of the electric scooters on the sidewalks and public paths. The startups ensure that this will not be an issue as their network is efficient and will not disrupt the everyday life of the city dwellers. In Vienna were Tier is operating, they pick up their e-scooters every night and ensure that they are not a hindrance during the day.
#5 A glance at its competitors
Given that the electric scooter companies are gaining momentum in Europe, there are a number of startups providing related services. There are other notable electric scooter startups such as Bird, Lime, Spin and more. But what makes Tier stand out from its rivals is that it works closely with the town halls and local government in order to help create a sustainable experience for the electric scooter users.
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.
