Free-floating scooters arrive in medium-sized cities

Having conquered major metropolises and targeting medium-sized cities, self-service electric scooters are more popular than ever.

The enthusiasm is such that self-service electric scooters have not only flourished in large cities. Small and medium-sized French towns are also captivated by this mobility solution meeting a real need.

Self-service rental of electric scooters in France began in Paris in 2018. At the time, it was a bit chaotic, with about a dozen brands with exotic names emerging from nowhere. Quickly, some failed to survive the fierce competition, and the Paris municipality cleaned up the market. But this did not scare off scooter enthusiasts, far from it.

Electric scooters address a mobility gap

And for good reason, electric scooters enable connecting point A to point B much more quickly and also present a credible alternative to public transport.

This micro-mobility need has thus persisted in the capital, via players like Dott, Tier, and Lime present in 2022. This tightening of professional players has not prevented this trott’mania from expanding across the country in metropolitan areas like Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, etc.

As well as in small and medium towns where some former and current Parisian operators have established themselves to counteract over-dependence on cars and a less-developed transportation network. For young people without a driver’s license, it is an excellent alternative.

Bird makes small steps, Tier and Dott in ambush

Although Bird has left Paris, the American company has compensated by expanding into other large and medium-sized cities. For example, approximately 250 scooters are active in Laval (53), 200 in Dieppe (76), 150 in Melun (77), or 100 in Ouistreham (14). Next step? Cherbourg which Bird secured the contract for in May. The company is also targeting other towns like Figeac (46) or Saverne (67), which received a fleet of 75 units this spring.

Two other mobility operators have managed to capture major cities. French Dott deployed 130 units in Gap (05) and 150 in Rillieux-la-Pape (69). They also invested in ski resorts like Val Thorens and Tignes (73). German Tier favors the northern part of France more. It now has around a hundred scooters circulating in Roissy-en-Brie (77) and notably 500 in Roubaix (59).

Pony, Lime, and Lynk Complete the Picture

Originating from Angers, Pony initially started at home. But currently, it operates in Évry-Courcouronnes (91) with 250 scooters and another 250 in Bourges (18), launched during the “Printemps de Bourges” festival last April.

Lime, from the United States and accustomed to big cities, has a fleet of 850 units in Le Havre, known for its high utilization rate. As for Lynk, a subsidiary of the British Superpedestrian, it took over the previous Wind scooters in Cagnes-sur-Mer and Perpignan at the end of 2021.

Some Short-term Electric Scooter Experiences

Beneath this success in small and medium towns are also some failures. Bird, the most active in this field, faced setbacks in Châlons-en-Champagne, Castres, and more recently Agen in spring 2022. Why? A failure of service providers paralyzed fleets as they awaited contract takers.

In Nogent-sur-Marne, Lime removed its 100 self-service scooters. The municipality wanted to end the illegal parking they caused. The same happened in Villeneuve d’Ascq, where the Plume service lasted only 24 hours due to vandalism. It proves once again that civic-mindedness is a French problem that complicates general-interest initiatives.

Also read: Dott scooters and bikes arrive in Grenoble