Europe’s biggest e-scooter rental operator has put together a new Safety Board for Ireland in advance of launching services here.

ier, which rents over 90,000 street e-scooters in 95 cities and plans to add Dublin to the list this year, says that it wants “to raise safety standards in the Irish e-scooter market”.

The company, whose basic e-scooter rental charge is €1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute, has made its move after the Government said that it would legalise e-scooters this summer.

There are now almost 10 electric scooter rental firms provisionally planning commercial launches in Ireland in 2021, from the taxi firm Free Now to local startups such as Zipp. They’ve all responded to Communications Minister Eamon Ryan’s plan to amend the law so that no driver’s licence, tax or insurance will be required to own or rent an e-scooter.

Tier’s new Ireland safety board will include representatives from the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI).

The German-based company also says that it will be collaborating with Smart Dublin, Luna Systems and Insight DCU on the first e-scooter trial in Ireland at Dublin City University’s five campuses.

“It’s exciting to see the Irish Government preparing to legalise e-scooters on roads,” said Fred Jones, Tier’s regional general manager for Northern Europe. 

“To make a success of e-scooters in Ireland, the industry must listen to the concerns and advice of a range of different groups, road users and communities across the country.

“We look forward to supporting the Government and cities in the coming months.”