Zipp Mobility integrates micro-mobility services with FREE NOW

Credit: FREE NOW / Julien Behal Photography - Pictured: Charlie Gleeson, Founder and CEO, Zipp Mobility (left); and Niall Carson, General Manager, FREE NOW (right).

On 5 January 2021, Zipp Mobility and FREE NOW announced that they will be joining in partnership to integrate Zipp Mobility’s e-scooters and e-bikes on the FREE NOW app. This collaboration will enable passengers to book Zipp’s micro-mobility transport options via the FREE NOW app once it is in operation in 2022.

The announcement follows the recently announced Road Traffic & Roads Bill 2021, which legalises e-scooter use in public places due to rising public demand for flexible and sustainable transport opportunities. These sentiments are evident in FREE NOW’s recently conducted research, which shows that 40 per cent of its passengers plan to use e-scooters for everyday transport when they are made widely available. They also found that 75 per cent think that Ireland needs more sustainable electric transport options, in line with other European countries.

“We are delighted to partner with Irish micro-mobility operator Zipp and share common ambitions to change – and, ultimately, improve – the way that people across Ireland approach daily transport. It’s a really exciting time for the industry now that the legislation of e-scooters is in motion, and we look forward to having e-scooters available on our app in 2022,” said Niall Carson, General Manager of FREE NOW Ireland.

This partnership reflects both FREE NOW and Zipp’s commitment to empower sustainable urban mobility solutions in Ireland and is an expansion of their existing projects. Zipp has already successfully launched in the UK and mainland Europe, and plans to launch both e-bikes and e-scooters across Ireland in 2022, along with beginning operations in Portugal and Spain. FREE NOW’s partnership with Zipp and its partnership announcements in 2021 with other e-scooter players are an extension of its successful European e-scooter rollout to date.

“We are thrilled to join the group of operators that are able to offer their micro-mobility services on the FREE NOW platform. At Zipp, we understand that micro-mobility is not a ‘silver bullet’ solution to decarbonising transport, so we must collaborate with platforms like FREE NOW to give our customers a full spectrum of sustainable transport options,” said Charlie Gleeson, Founder and CEO of Zipp Mobility.