The E-scooter in Berlin are also available to customers in winter. “We expect that in winter there will be fewer users, but still so many that we maintain the operation regularly,” said a spokesman for one of the largest providers in Berlin, Tier, on request. “The number of scooters on the roads will remain the same.”
The transport service broker Uber, who only added his mobility offer to the e-scooter for a few weeks, commented similarly. Lime, which also offers both e-scooters and electric bikes, wants to continue the service.
However, the companies reserve the right to switch off the service in extreme conditions. “As soon as driving could be dangerous, for example due to extreme weather conditions such as ice and snow, we will suspend operations until conditions improve,” Uber said.
E-scooters are among other things because of numerous accidents and a doubtful carbon footprint in the criticism, Animal founder Lawrence Leuschner holds the report according to the “Frankfurter Rundschau” according to the risk of accidents However, for less than is often claimed: “Currently we have almost 250 registered accidents with ten million trips, which is an extremely low rate and people are just learning how to drive the scooter,” he said Newspaper.
Tier plans to launch a new scooter model in November. The worry “with a larger front wheel, rear-wheel drive and a higher weight for better grip”. “The light of the scooter is adapted to the dark season, so even lighter.”
Lime CEO Joe Kraus also defends his industry in an interview with “Welt am Sonntag”. Because of the short usage cycles critics accuse the e-scooters a bad climate balance. “The entire industry must help solve this problem,” Kraus told the newspaper. He also called on German users: “Please park your scooters sensibly!” In the long term, Lime is aiming for an IPO, if the current challenges are resolved, Kraus said.
Since mid-June, e-scooters in Germany are allowed to cycle on cycle paths and on roads. Since Uber also recently entered the market, six suppliers are vying nationwide for customers.
The scooter providers advertise the vehicles as another, electrically driven element in a future mobility mix in which customers hardly own their own cars, but instead use different sharing and rental offers. Because of numerous accidents, the concentration on inner cities, improper use, Disabilities on bike paths and sidewalks and a doubtful carbon footprint are the scooters in the criticism.
dpa / mh