🆕 Spin’s New CEO

Plus, US pedestrian deaths hit 40-year high, subscription micromobility is white hot, and Bob Iger backs Gopuff.

May 24, 2022

Today’s Micromobility Newsletter is brought to you by… Joyride

Calling all micromobility operators! The first-ever Joyride Academy Experience is taking place on June 1 in Amsterdam as part of Micromobility Europe.

Completely free to conference ticket holders, join us for a high-touch workshop focused on current and prospective mobility operators and how you can successfully grow your business.

Space is limited, so move quickly. Reserve your free spot here.

What You Need to Know This Week

  • Spin CEO Ben Bear is stepping down and leaving the company just a couple of months after being acquired by Tier. He will be replaced by Tier veteran Philip Reinckens.

  • The rise of WFH has caused a massive jump in US housing prices and rents over the last two years.

  • Last year saw more pedestrians killed on US roads than any year since 1982.

  • Meanwhile Spain was able to reduce road deaths by 14% by lowering the speed limit on single-lane urban roads to 18.5mph.

We’re just 8 days away from Micromobility Europe’s 2022 gathering in Amsterdam, and all the smartest people in urban mobility will be there.

On tap, our own Horace Dediu has curated an amazing lineup of talks, rides, and first looks at new products, including a Shark Tank-style VC/startup pitch contest, Azeem Azhar, the Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, the creator of Dutch-urbanist YouTube channel Not Just Bikes, the founder of Tier, and many more.

Most exciting of all - tickets are on sale for 40% off for the next 24 hours only!

  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom says, “NIMBYism is destroying the state,” by preventing denser, cheaper housing from being built.

  • In a bid to reduce air pollution, Paris is taking two lanes away from cars on the PĂ©riphĂ©rique highway that encircles the city.

  • BinBin is making its first move outside of Turkey and deploying shared scooters in Bulgaria.

  • A new BCG survey predicts subscription will be the fastest-growing area of micromobility this decade.

  • One place where ebike and bike sales aren’t booming lately: Japan.

  • Gopuff, the instant delivery upstart, has tapped ex-Disney head Bob Iger as its newest investor and advisor.

  • Ukrainian soldiers are equipping rocket launchers to ebikes.

  • Dutch startup Squad Mobility has launched preorders for its solar-powered, two-seater EV for a mere $6,500.

Squad Mobility

  • A new opinion survey finds that policymakers seriously underestimate ebikes’ potential to replace car trips, and as a result, invest few resources in incentives. In fact, power districts like utility companies are the leading provider of ebike incentives in the US—not local or state governments.

  • Banning combustion mopeds was one of the most popular proposals when the city of Paris surveyed its residents about how to reduce noise pollution.

  • Roetz, an Amsterdam-based ebike maker, has raised $1.9m.

  • Cake’s Ă–sa electric is earning high marks for its unique looks and versatility.

  • Bike lights that go inside your pedals to boost your safety.

  • The great thing about micromobility infrastructure is that it’s actually very easy to build. “Thanks to decades of spending on road and highway building, the infrastructure needed to create these networks already exists. Cities don’t need to pour asphalt; they just need to commandeer some of the surplus of streets from cars.”

  • Electric bike seller Cowboy is adding more social features, including cycling records and achievements.

  • If you live in New York City, your next delivery order might be come to you in a 75-mph, three-wheeled EV, thanks to a new partnership between Arcimoto and Joco.

Arcimoto, JOCO Announce Manhattan Pilot Program

  • Harley-Davidson’s Serial 1 is releasing a limited-edition electric mountain bike.

  • At the current rate of new repairs, it would take Los Angeles 500 years to fix all of its broken and dangerous sidewalks.

  • Inside the growing “cap and cover” movement’s efforts to bury urban highways underground.

  • The decade of cheap ridehail is over.

Pod People

This week Oliver Bruce interviews Laura Fox, General Manager of Lyft’s Citi Bike in New York City - the largest bikeshare system in North America.Laura has a very deep background in thinking about the future of cities from working with Sidewalk Labs for Google and former World Bank urban economist Alain Bertaud, with whom she edited one of Oliver's favorite books on urban economics, Order Without Design.

Jobs to Be Done

Welcome to our jobs board, where every week we post open positions in hopes of connecting our talented readers with professional opportunities in the burgeoning world of new mobility. Find out who’s hiring below and sign up for the newsletter to view fresh listings every week.

Hit reply if you have a job that you’re interested in listing.

Felyx: General Manager Germany (Berlin)

HERE Protocol (Global):

Vassla: