Bolt e-scooters coming to Ireland as a sustainable last-mile connector

Public can mix between cars, micro-mobility, rail, and bus in one app

Bolt E-Scooters launching in Ireland

Since the announcement that the Irish Government is drafting a new law to legalise e-scooters, several companies have launched a rental service here. The most recent of these is Bolt which has 50m customers in over 40 countries.

Bolt’s e-scooters are designed and built in the EU and currently operate carbon negatively in 53 cities across 15 European countries.

Bolt has its sights set on becoming Europe’s largest e-scooter operator and is ready to provide 10,000 of its e-scooters to Irish towns and cities. Projections based on Bolt’s European markets, over 130 jobs are expected to be created on the successful roll-out of e-scooters in Irish cities, 25 of which are for Cork.

Following the launch of its taxi-hailing service in Dublin, Bolt says it’s excited to create Ireland's first multi-modal transport platform, where the public can choose between a car, e-scooter or even an e-bike.

Luke Mackey, Ireland country manager for Bolt, said: “Our data from similar-sized cities shows that offering micro-mobility services like scooters alongside ride-hailing can replace up to 11% of car trips under 3km.

"Integration with the wider public transport system would only increase the value add to the public who can mix between cars, micro-mobility, rail and bus in one app.”

Mr Mackey added: “In the future, journeys can begin from the multi-modal Bolt app. Some trips make more sense on an e-scooter, some in a taxi. Bolt can combine them all, and you don’t have to use multiple apps for each service and type of vehicle. Once a person enters their destination in our app, we’ll recommend different ways to get there based on time, price or weather.”

The company says it is ready to provide 10,000 of its proprietary, 4th generation, sustainable e-scooters to Irish towns and cities. Projections based on Bolt’s European markets, over 130 jobs are expected to be created on the successful roll-out of e-scooters in Irish cities. These local operation roles would manage the charging, maintenance and distribution of the e-scooters.

The Bolt Four scooter, unveiled in December 2020, has a maximum speed of 25 km/h, a 40 km battery range, is weather-resistant to the IP67 standard and has a five-year life-span. It is designed and manufactured wholly by Bolt and they say it is the safest model in the industry, with a lower and wider foot-deck to provide an optimal centre of gravity, in-built audio guidance, dual mechanical and electronic brakes and sensors to detect and automatically report accidents or falls.

The Irish public can already order taxis via the Bolt app, with options including Bolt Shield, where the car has a protective shield, and Bolt Green, for a hybrid or electric taxi.