Citi-backed e-scooter firm plans Irish launch

Superpedestrian, an e-scooter company that uses AI to identify defects in its vehicles, has begun hiring staff for a launch of its e-scooter sharing services in Ireland.

The Citi-backed company operates the Link brand of e-scooters. It has rental services in several US cities and is planning an aggressive expansion in Europe.

Haya Douidri, vice president for EMEA, said it has hired a director of policy in Ireland to oversee its launch here.

“We’re following very closely the legislation. We would really love to serve Ireland’s residents and support people in Dublin but also in places like Cork, Galway, Waterford,” she said.

Unlike most other EU countries, e-scooter sharing services have not taken off here, but the vehicles are close to being regulated through the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

Once enacted the regulation would allow e-scooter sharing companies like Superpedestrian, Lime and Voi to launch in Ireland. Douidri said it aims to launch by the fourth quarter.

She said Superpedestrian is looking to serve smaller cities and towns as well, opposed to many of its rivals that target capitals and larger cities.

Superpedestrian has invested heavily in on-board tech for its scooters, including AI that can detect when a scooter is incorrectly parked or at risk of malfunctioning and alerts patrollers in cities to come fix it.

The company tends to hire relatively large workforces for the upkeep and maintenance of its specialised scooters.

“We really want to hire locally and be as local as possible so we invest heavily in hiring permanent staff,” Douidri said.

“We don’t use any gig workers and that’s important for us, not just in Europe, even in the US we don’t use gig workers. We don’t believe in gig workers, we believe in employment and providing employment opportunities.”

Superpedestrian raised $60m last December from Citi’s Impact Fund and a number of venture capital firms.