By Euwyn Poon, Derrick Ko and Zaizhuang Cheng
This past year was a time of considerable growth at Spin. Since our acquisition by Ford Motor Company in November 2018, we’ve partnered with cities and universities across the U.S. hiring hundreds of employees along the way.
The Regulatory Environment for Scooters
As the industry has matured, the free-for-all permitting approach, allowing an unlimited number of operators to flood public streets with thousands of scooters, has led to a “race to the bottom,” with varying levels of service provided by some operators.
The most effective tools US policymakers have used to control the growth of an initially disruptive technology is to cap the number of operators permitted. European cities are already following suit (ex: Paris, Marseille, Zaragoza) and we think it’s the right framework for this industry moving forward.
As a company known for its willingness to work hand-in-hand with partners all over the U.S., we see this change in European regulation as an opportunity for a trusted and reliable provider like Spin to break through.
That’s why today we are officially announcing our plans to launch in Europe — starting with Cologne, Germany this Spring.
Over the next six months, we will expand our presence in Germany by working with city governments and the community to bring our service to the surrounding region.
As part of our European expansion plans, we are applying for Paris’ e-scooter permit next month. We are also exploring opportunities to operate in the United Kingdom through private partnerships and through opportunities presented by the country’s pending e-scooter share trials.
Why Cologne?
Located in the heart of North Rhine Westphalia, Cologne is a dense urban area with robust bike infrastructure and a high up-take of non-automotive transportation modes. Despite this, Cologne still faces some of the worst traffic issues in the country.
All of these characteristics make it a prime location for any micromobility service to operate in.
There’s also more to it for Spin.
Cologne is a natural fit because it’s where Ford’s German headquarters is located.
We also see the City’s mobility hub pilot — a bundling of mobility options including public transport, electric car-sharing, conventional car-sharing, time-sharing of private and public parking spaces, and bike-sharing — as an innovative and forward-thinking approach to accommodate for peoples’ multimodal journeys. Our Spin Hubs — parking and charging stations for e-scooters — could fit in well with the City of Cologne’s future mobility plans.
Investment in micromobility extends beyond the scooters we put on the streets everyday. As a long-term partner to businesses, cities and universities, we strive to integrate micromobility into the fabric of each community we serve.
Ultimately, our mission is to give more people the freedom to move, to seamlessly and safely get around their communities. We are thrilled to have an opportunity to do just that in Cologne.
This is a major milestone for our company and we would like to thank everyone on the Spin Team, our partners and our riders for choosing our service!
To Cologne, we excitedly say, “wir werden dich bald sehen!”
Ride On!
— Euwyn, Derrick and Z
