It’s a plan that could replace up to 11% of car trips under 3km.

Now the mobility platform Bolt has announced its intention to bring its e-scooters to Cork as part of an integrated transport system focused on making urban travel more affordable, convenient and sustainable.

Following the successful launch of its taxi-hailing service in Dublin, Bolt is planning to build Ireland’s first multi-modal transport platform, where the public can choose between a car, e-scooter or even an e-bike for short journeys.

Bolt’s scooters are currently available in 15 countries and 53 cities across Europe. The Bolt Four scooter has a maximum speed of 25 km/h, a 40km battery and a five-year life-span.

The company claims their design is the safest model in the industry, with a lower and wider foot-deck to provide an optimal centre of gravity, in-built audio guidance, dual mechanical and electronic brakes and sensors to detect and automatically report accidents or falls.

Cork fleet

Should it go ahead, the Irish rollout could create up to 130 new jobs in Ireland, with 10,000 of its proprietary sustainable e-scooters delivered to Irish towns and cities.

Luke Mackey, Ireland Country Manager for Bolt, says the company is hoping to be granted permission to base a fleet in Cork, creating a new way of getting around as well as up to 30 new jobs.

“We believe there’s scope for Cork city and the surrounding area to have enough demand for 1000 scooters which could bring with it 20-30 jobs,” Mackey told Yay Cork.

“These jobs would include operations roles such as an Operations Manager overseeing the Active Response and Field Operations teams, who manage the upkeep and distribution of the vehicles. Alongside operations, we would also have some education and safety roles.”

“Our data from similar-sized cities shows that offering micro-mobility services like scooters alongside ride-hailing can replace up to 11% of car trips under 3km. Integration with the wider public transport system would only increase the value add to the public who can mix between cars, micro-mobility, rail and bus in one app.”