Tier Mobility prepares for UK e-scooter trials with 1,000 units and new hires

30/06/2020

Tier Mobility is gearing up for the Department for Transport’s (DfT) e-scooter trial by stocking up with 1,000 models of its e-scooter in the UK and hiring two senior members to its team.

The European micro-mobility provider has appointed Fred Jones as general manager UK and Benjamin Bell as head of public policy for Northern Europe.

The DfT has set out the details of its e-scooter trial guidance after plans were fast tracked to help encourage more people off public transport and onto greener alternatives.

Both Jones and Bell join TIER from Uber and come with a decade of experience in the e-mobility sector.

Tier said the hires will play integral roles in the company’s plan to bring its e-scooters to cities across the UK, if the trials lead to them being legally approved for wider use.

Jones will oversee the roll-out of Tier e-scooters in UK towns and cities.

Bell will spearhead the company’s collaboration with central and local government in the run-up to trials, and oversee engagement with other public bodies and partners.

Benjamin Bell, head of public policy for Northern Europe, Tier Mobility, said: “The arrival of e-scooters was rightly fast-tracked in the wake of Covid-19.

“By providing safe, green transport for millions of people, they can play a crucial role in getting the UK back to work.

“Tier is already a partner to Governments across Europe and we look forward to building lasting relationships in the UK and beyond.”

Tier has a 20% global market share of the e-scooter market since launching in 2018. The business operates in over 60 cities across nine countries and has more than 40,000 scooters deployed.

The subject of whether e-scooters should be made legal for us in the UK has been a hot topic in the inudstry, with PACTS, the transport safety advisers to the Government, saying there are ‘few if any public benefits' to the legalisation of e-scooters in the UK and is opposed to trials of the micro mobility solution. Meanwhile, the Urban Transport Group, which represents the UK’s largest urban transport authorities, has welcomed the e-scooter trials but has highlighted the need for safeguards.

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