TIER, Voi and Bolt have won the tenders in Oslo, Norway to provide shared e-scooter services in the city for one year, starting today.
The three shared micromobility operators will get 2,667 scooters each, which means there will be 8,001 scooters in total for residents to enjoy.
All three operators had been operating in the city before the tender results were released.
Last summer, almost 20,000 e-scooters crowded the city. But as the micromobility sector in Norway has matured, tighter regulations have seen fleet numbers slashed with the city now looking to take back control with tenders.
At the beginning of March this year, Zag Daily data showed that there were just 3,000 e-scooters left – 600 each from Bolt, Lime and TIER and 1,200 from Voi.
TIER, Voi and Ryde also won the tenders in the city of Trondheim, Norway.
These operators have been granted permission to deploy 1,067 e-scooters each from today.
TIER’s Norway Country Manager Morten Askeland said: “After TIER’s success in the Trondheim tender last week, we are incredibly proud to be selected by Oslo following a highly competitive and rigorous procurement process. The Norwegian capital is at the forefront of regulations and has rightly set strict requirements. We must now continue to deliver on our promise of safety, order and sustainability for the good of Oslo residents and visitors.”
Christina Moe Gjerde, General Manager of Nordics at Voi, said: “We are proud that the municipality has trust in us and look forward to delivering on what we have promised. Through local cooperation, development of parking solutions as well as the launch of our new Voiager 5 e-scooter model, we want to contribute to a safe and accessible city for all.”
Gjerde also said “our experience shows that local partnerships and knowledge are important in tenders. A sharing service is not enough and close collaboration with the municipality and local organisations is vital.”
One example of Voi collaborating with local stakeholders has been its recent partnership with Norges Blindeforbund (Association for Visually Impaired).
Bolt’s Norway Country Manager Jose Rei commented: “The city of Oslo via Bymiljøetaten is setting the bar high and has done a tremendous job in creating an environment where micromobility is able to thrive and bring value to its people. As operators, we need to be equally if not even more ambitious in order to help cities make their vision of the future come true.
“That’s why our teams have been busy implementing the latest technology in our scooters and e-bikes to make them even safer, more sustainable, and seamlessly integrated in the cities.
“Recently we have introduced an AI-based solution to help our users improve their parking habits, ID verification, cognitive reactions tests, insurance for anyone using our scooters, and pilot projects to nudge people from cars to micro mobility options.”
