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Wind Mobility has launched its Irish operation, aiming to offer the “safest and most sustainable sharing scheme at an affordable rate” for riders in Ireland.
The Berlin-headquartered company operates a fleet of tens of thousands of e-scooters in cities including Oslo, Rome, Seoul, Tel Aviv and Nottingham.
The use of e-scooters and e-bikes in Ireland is set to be legalised in the coming months, added Wind, now that the Government has approved the drafting of legislation.
“We’re so pleased to be setting up in Ireland as it’s a market we’ve been looking at for some time,” said Catriona Meehan, head of policy at Wind Mobility. “Legalisation of e-scooters will bring Ireland up to speed with most other EU countries and we commend minister Ryan and all other stakeholders for persevering and getting the legislation to this stage.
“We look forward to offering Irish e-scooter riders a safe, sustainable and enjoyable mobility solution and will bring our competitive rates to the Irish market.”
Wind e-scooters offer an integrated helmet as well as hand sanitisers for maximum protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, while wider tyres and a heavier base ensure optimal stability, the company said.
Meehan added: “Cities like Dublin and Cork are tailor-made for e-scooter riding and sharing. Both cities experience a high level of traffic congestion with associated air and noise pollution, two important urban issues that e-scooters can immediately alleviate while contributing to a more sustainable environment.
“We look forward to offering our mobility solution to Dublin and Cork initially once regulation has passed, with hopefully other Irish cities and towns to follow. Sustainability is at the heart of our mission but not all e-scooter operators are the same in this regard.
“Our vehicles have a life span of five years whereas many other e-scooters only last eight to 12 months, so wherever we go, we have a much lower environmental impact than other companies. Our batteries also last for 80 kilometres before they need to be charged, which is double the industry standard.”
Wind said it will also offer special discounts for healthcare personnel and other key workers.
