We're back! Here's our summer recap:

Did you miss us? We're back after a summer break. Lots to catch up on, but we've got you covered! It's a long one, so if the email is clipped, don't forget to 'view entire message'!

Looking for updates on the US market??Join the North America Recap, launching next week.?

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Top stories

??? TIER's hot summer

It has been quite an active summer for TIER! The German operator has launched multiple services across Europe, and especially electric bikes in strategic markets such as Brussels (1,500 bikes), London (500 additional bikes in Ealing) and Hamburg (700 bikes).

The company reaped the rewards of its R&D investments. It launched its?Gen6 scooterco-developed with Okai, which includes an innovative display easing parking zone identification, and sound signals. In London, TIER will also launch a pilot with 60 scooters equipped with its?home-designed IoT module called Parrot, aimed to improve the geolocation accuracy and control riders' behavior thanks to new sensors.

Unfortunately, the company also had to take drastic measures to reach its profitability goals in an environment where investors are more cautious. CEO Lawrence Leuschner?announced?that TIER had to lay off 180 people (16% of its workforce), and "stop or pause [non-profitable] projects and work streams ".

Despite bold strategies for market expansion, R&D and business (acquisition of Fantasmo, Nextbike, Spin, Wind Italy), this last piece of news highlights the need for operators to continuously improve their business model. Work never ends...

?? & ?? Madrid's new landscape

BiciMAD, the 100% electric bike sharing service of Madrid (ES) has been in recurring financial and operational troubles for years, ending with the service switching to a publicly owned and operated model.

After 8 years, it was time for a change: the tender has been?won by the joint venture of PBSC and Serveo. With this €63.57m contract, the 2 companies are assert their leadership in Spain, where they operate services in Barcelona, La Coru?a, and soon in Valladolid.

In the meantime, the City Council has been?working hard on shared scooter RFPspecifications. It is expected to be published during the first half of September and will allow the city to select 2 to 3 operators, for a total of 6,000-7,500 vehicles. With fewer companies and no obligation to deploy a number of vehicles in each zone of the city, the market becomes a must-win.

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Launches & expansions

Acciona?| Mopeds: Launch in?Alcorcón, Leganés and Getafe?(ES) | 350 mopeds

Belfast Bikes?| Bikes: Expansion in?Belfast?(UK) | 4 new stations

Beryl?| Bikes: Expansion in?Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?(UK) | 20 electric bikes, Expansion of Norwich service to?Wymondham?(UK), Launch in?Dorset?(UK) | 122 bikes & 50 virtual stations

BinBin?| Scooters: Launch in?Mostar?(BA) | 300 scooters

For 48 more launches and expansions from operators such as Bird, Bolt, Bit Mobility, Donkey Republic, Dott, Drivio and several more operators, click here

SEAT Mó?| Mopeds & Boats: Expansion in?Menorca, Mallorca, Valencia, Algeciras and Tarifa?(ES) | Mopeds, Launch in?Menorca?(ES) | Boats

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Pauses & Exits

Big Issue?| Bristol (UK) | The company had to?stop operation due to high levels of vandalism.

?Bird?| Ouistreham (FR) | After a one-year trial, the city awarded the?licence to another operator.

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City updates

Istanbul (TR)?|?Dedicated scooter parking zones?implemented.

Derby (UK)?| The council has adopted a?￡1.27m budget to finance a new electric bike service?in 2023.

Sweden (SE)?|?Scooters will be banned from footpaths?from 1st September.

Brussels (BE)?|?New bike lane?implemented in Schaerbeek.

Madrid (ES)?| The?final phase of selection for 3 shared scooter operators?will take place in early September.

Click here to dive-in in more city updates from Central, North, South and East Europe, including tenders & permits, infrastructure and regulation

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Industry news

Avocargo?launched?a?crowdfunding campaign?on Greenrocket...

...Baqme?has?its own on Crowdcube.

Bird?has?integrated?Vélib' into its app.

Read here about Publibike’s and?Velospot’s merge, Element’s?and?Hello Llama’s new vehicle, as well as several more updates from operators and other industry leaders, including Google

WeShare?cars are now?available in Hamburg's mobility hubs?(DE).

Zeus?acquired Zwings.

Bolt?launched a trial in Berlin (DE) to with?battery swap stations?from?Swobbee.

Want to feature in the next newsletter? Send your updates to?[email protected]?