This week's Top 3: Uber makes a MaaS in London, Lime calls for respect in Brussels, and the debate continues over e-scooters in Germany.
1. Uber makes a MaaS by integrating public transport options in London
Uber has announced that it will launch its Transit feature in London, which will allow users to access information related to public transport. The feature has been trialled in Denver, Colorado, and London is only the second city to have the feature enabled. Users will be able to see all public transport options including the London Underground, buses, trains, trams and river boat, as well as the fares, all winthin the Uber app. Uber says the ability to purchase tickets in the app is currently not possible. The move demonstrates Uber's next step towards becoming a mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platform, taking advantage of Transport for London's open data policies. Of course, as yet, Uber services in London remain limited to individual and shared ride hailing as the company has not yet launched its Jump brand of shared e-bikes and e-scooters in the UK.
2. Lime seeks to educate users to curb rise accidents
In Brussels Lime has launched a campaign called “Respect the Ride” which aims to make its users aware of the importance of “respectful” scooter driving. It will encourage users to wear a helmet, respect traffic rules, park the scooter correctly and avoid riding on the pavement. Accident and emergency departments in the city's hospitals have recently reported an increase in the number of cases involving electric scooters, but stopped short of explicitly blaming the shared e-scooter operators.
3. Political battles over e-scooters in Germany
The Bundesrat, the Upper House of the German Parliament, continues to scrutinise the proposed new transport law, which will legalise e-scooters. A key focus of debate is whether e-scooters should be allowed on pavements and cycle lanes. The current proposal from the Federal Government is that e-scooters should be allowed on pavements but restricted to a walking pace. Regine Günther, a senior politician in the Berlin Senate, told the Bundesrat's Transport Committee that electric scooters should be treated like bikes and discouraged from being used on pavements and groups campaigning for the disabled and elderly have criticised the proposal.
This is a weekly note covering the top three developments in the regulation of on-demand transport in Europe. It covers taxis, ride-sharing, car sharing, carpooling, bikes, e-bikes, scooters, shared mopeds and anything else that's relevant to the sector. If you'd like to receive this direct to your inbox then please enter your email address below:
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