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Dott and Omni partner to launch adapted e-scooters for wheelchair users

Posted: 30 June 2022 | | No comments yet

With the first fleet of adapted scooters to be deployed in the Parisian public space by the end of 2022, wheelchair users in the city will be able to take advantage of more efficient and independent travel for shorter journeys.

Dott and Omni

Credit: Dott

European micro-mobility operator Dott has announced that it has been working with French start-up Omni to adapt its e-scooters for wheelchairs users. After several months of collaboration, the first prototype vehicle has been successfully tested in front of the Philharmonie in Paris, on 29 June 2022.

Omni is a start-up from the Ile-de-France region of France and winner of the Grand Prix of the Lépine competition in 2021 for its solution for adapting e-scooters to wheelchairs. The partnership supports Dott’s objective to provide an adapted fleet in the public space for people in wheelchairs.

In order to transform Dott’s e-scooters into a vehicle suitable for everyday use by wheelchair users, the companies worked together to:

  • Lower handlebars, to the height of a person sitting in a wheelchair
  • Offset the handlebars for better comfort, avoiding pain in the arms and shoulders
  • Modify the speed controller, allowing a departure at 1km/h instead of 5km/h, given that people in wheelchairs cannot use their leg to start the e-scooter.

Following successful testing, the prototype scooter will be further improved, with the first fleet of 10 adapted e-scooters to be deployed in the Parisian public space before the end of 2022.

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In addition to this innovative prototype, Dott has co-financed 55 per cent of the rental price of 30 OmniTrotters in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Grenoble. This alternative to purchase the vehicles removes what can be a barrier for many users.

Nicolas Gorse VP Operations of Dott and General Manager Dott France said: “This partnership is particularly important for us at Dott. Firstly, because we have been working with Omni for over a year now and we are delighted to finally demonstrate this stage of our partnership. Secondly, because our mission is to make mobility accessible to as many people as possible. With the OmniTrotter, we allow people with reduced mobility to move around more easily in their daily lives. The feedback we received from the first users of the long-term rental programme is encouraging and exciting. People who were forced to use their car even for short distances can now use the Dott/OMNI pack to commute.”

Charlotte Allaux, cofounder of Omni said: “Inclusion in all its forms is very important to us at Omni. We are happy to have a major player in micro-mobility like Dott aligned with our vision and so involved in this subject. Our rental offer with Dott has already equipped many people with a personal electric scooter that they could not have afforded otherwise. Thanks to this partnership, it is possible to ride like everyone else and at the same price as everyone else. With this new project, the idea is to go even further by allowing people with reduced mobility to have access to self-service shared solutions on the street.”

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