E-scooter companies are gaining momentum in Europe, at least in terms of the number of startups launching in this niche. Berlin-based TIER has just announced securing a €25 million funding round led by Northzone, with participation from existing investors SpeedInvest and Point Nine. The company is planning to use the funds to fuel its expansion across Europe.
Similarly to the US-founded pioneers Bird and Lime, as well as its European peers like Voi Technologies recently raised €2 million, TIER offers low-cost rental of electric push scooters scattered around the city streets. The users only need to unlock the scooter they see via the app and leave the vehicle anywhere after the ride is finished.
TIER has already launched in Vienna and is planning to expand into other, yet unspecified European cities. The current fee it's charging for the scooter rental is €1 to unlock the vehicle and €0.15 per minute of riding.
TIER maintains that it works closely with municipalities in the cities it's going to expand into and “focuses on creating a sustainable experience,” the company said in a press release. It is, however, evident that the authorities in certain cities are not entirely happy with the rise of the new transportation mode. Recently, Stockholm started looking to ban e-scooters altogether; in the UK, each scooter would need to be registered and licensed separately. The main reason for this approach is that the scooters left behind create a mess on the sidewalks. In addition to that, riding them could be dangerous to either the driver (if they go on the road) or the people around (if driven on a sidewalk).
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