From left: Free Now general manager Niall Carson, Free Now head of operations and PA Fiona Brady, and Tier Mobility Ireland country manager Peadar Golden. Image: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland
100 Tier e-bikes will be available from the Free Now app across sites in Dublin, with plans to raise this to 400 in the coming months.
Free Now has announced that e-bikes will be available to book through its taxi app later this week, thanks to a partnership with micromobility company Tier.
The initial roll-out will include 100 battery power-assisted Tier e-bikes in Blanchardstown, Swords, Malahide, Baldoyle, Portmarnock and Howth.
Further roll-outs are planned across Fingal over the coming months, bringing the total number of available e-bikes to 400.
Free Now said this mirrors what its app offers in other markets across Europe, where passengers can book e-scooters, e-bikes, e-mopeds and car-sharing options alongside taxis.
The e-bike partnership with Tier follows an e-scooter trial across five Dublin City University campuses last year. This allowed passengers to book Tier e-scooters via the Free Now app. Tier also conducted an e-bike trial at the university earlier this year.
“The integration of electric micromobility on the Free Now app will enable our passengers to consider more sustainable transport choices in addition to our eco booking taxi option,” said Free Now general manager Niall Carson.
“After the success of our e-scooter trial last year and now this e-bike launch, we are excited about what the future holds for Free Now in the multimobility space in Ireland.”
Last year, Free Now announced plans to make Tier e-scooters available for booking on its app in Ireland once the relevant legislation is passed.
However, there have been delays when it comes to regulating e-scooters on Irish roads. A policy plan published earlier this year indicates that e-scooter operators will have to wait until 2023 to get the green light to launch in Ireland.
In the meantime, there is a growing trend of micromobility companies rolling out e-bike services across Ireland.
In May, European player Bolt shared plans to bring 100 e-bikes to Sligo town in a pilot scheme, as part of a wider push to deploy 16,000 e-bikes across Europe.
Irish micromobility start-up Zipp Mobility said last month that it plans to expand its e-bike and e-scooter services in Ireland and beyond following a €6.1m funding round.
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