Spin conducts a recent study with YouGov that indicates a new surgence of micromobility usage – today launches in Cologne and the following week in Dortmund and Essen

Cologne, Germany – June 10, 2020 – Spin, the company that pioneered the modern regulatory framework for stationless mobility, today launches its first international market in Cologne, Germany. The following week Spin will follow the successful launch in Cologne with launches in two additional German cities, Dortmund and Essen. The pricing structure – €0.30 per minute with no fee to unlock a ride – lowers the barrier to entry for an even more affordable way to commute short distances or visit multiple destinations within a given time period. Customers will get to steer the latest model of Spin scooters, featuring a large sturdy frame, a wide platform, and solid rubber tires designed to provide a smooth and comfortable ride on European cobblestone streets.

Starting from the inner city to the outer parts of Ehrenfeld and Deutz in Cologne, local residents and commuters can look forward to a reliable and enjoyable ride around their beloved city on a single passenger vehicle that facilitates social distancing. Users can rent a Spin ride using a smartphone app. Upon downloading and opening the app, customers will be presented with a short guided safety tutorial and can find the nearest Spin scooter via its digital map. For more information about Spin and to download a guide to riding and parking responsibly, please visit https://www.spin.app/.

Since the start of Spin’s business in 2017, the micromobility leader in policy innovation has kept its promise to always “get permission before acting”, maintaining close communication with local governments and its partners and soliciting feedback along the way. Spin maintains a high standard of compliance with the rules set by the city government. By implementing region-specific firmware and utilizing geofencing technology, users will not be able to end their ride in a no-parking zone or exceed the maximum speed limit.

Spin believes that e-scooters, bicycles and e-bikes are ideal transportation forms in the coming summer months, especially for short-distance travel. Based on a recent survey conducted by Spin and YouGov^[1], nearly 50 percent of people indicated that they are already using or planning to use a solo transportation option for commuting to and from work and for taking trips within their immediate vicinity.

“We are seeing heavier adoption of micromobility all around the world,” said Derrick Ko, CEO and Co-Founder of Spin. “People still need an affordable way to get around while maintaining appropriate physical distance. Since the emergence of Covid-19, we have facilitated more than 10,000 rides for healthcare professionals, continued to work closely with cities to fill in transportation gaps, and provide our riders with a dependable solo transportation option for their essential trips. As lockdown restrictions are lifting worldwide, we are resuming operations in more of our markets and ready to launch our product and service in Germany.”

With a long-term vision to build a genuine sustainable transportation solution in cities and a community-focused approach, Spin is seeking to partner with local governments and organizations in Europe to reduce scooter clutter and solve other commuting needs. As a champion of micromobility infrastructure investments in the United States, Spin has installed hundreds of charging hubs and collaborated with advocacy and community groups such as Bike Utah and Salt Lake City’s transportation planners to build a temporary protected intersection to help demonstrate publicly how easy it is to render streets accessible to bikes, scooters, and pedestrians.

“Cities must react to the growing demand from their citizens for more individual transportation options and we applaud the work that cities across Europe – Berlin, Paris, London, Milan and Brussels – are doing to rethink the use of streets as shared open spaces to give people adequate space to move,” said Felix Petersen, Head of Spin Europe. “Cologne has already taken measures to expand its bike lanes and impose a speed limit, making this a great environment for us to launch our first international market. We look forward to collaborating with Cologne and other cities in their newfound approach to use micromobility as a solution to help communities move around without crowding.”

In response to COVID-19, Spin has introduced extensive safety and health measures for its employees to follow during operations such as increasing the frequency of disinfecting its scooters. Every time a scooter enters the warehouse or is redeployed on the street, the upper mast and handlebars are cleaned with disinfectant. Spin employees are also being provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as single-use face masks, safety glasses and gloves for wear during every shift. As a precautionary measure, riders are encouraged to wear gloves or clean their hands with soap or hand sanitizer before and after each ride and practice physical distancing by staying at least 1.5 meters of distance from other people.

^[1] The data is based on an online survey commissioned by Spin and conducted by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, in which 2,063 people participated between April 30 and May 4, 2020. The results were weighted and are representative for the German population aged 18 and over.