Electric scooter rental startup Wind will launch in Israel next month. The Berlin-based company, which recently raised $22 million, will start operations in Tel Aviv where it will deploy 1,200 dockless electric scooters around the city. The company plans to expand its Israel fleet of e-scooters to 2,000-3,000.
Wind will bring competition to US e-scooter rival Bird, which began operating in Tel Aviv last August, and Lime, which is also due to launch in Tel Aviv in early 2019.
Wind will be headed in Israel by country manager Shahaf Shav Artza and product manager Yochai Abadi, who served in the same positions for Chinese electric bicycle company Ofo, which exited Israel last summer after only six months in the country. Wind currently operates fleets of dockless e-scooters and bicycles in the US, France, Spain and its home base of Germany.
Shav Artza told "Globes" that like Bird, Wind will charge NIS 5 for hiring the scooters and NIS 0.50 per minute per ride. The company will make helmets and yellow vests available.
Users will be required to download an app to hire the scooters and must be over 18 and wear helmets and yellow vests at night. Like Bird, Wind will pay people a fee for collecting up, recharging the scooters and placing them at collection points.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 25, 2018
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