The Zeus and Green Motion teams at a launch event in Anzio. Image: Zeus
Irish-owned e-scooter company Zeus has been expanding over the past year, entering several European markets including Italy.
Irish-owned e-scooter start-up Zeus has expanded its offering further across Europe, with its latest launch taking place in Italy last week.
Since the company launched in Germany 2020, it has established e-scooter sharing services in 28 European cities across Norway, Sweden and Germany. It was founded in Ireland – where e-scooter legislation has not yet been passed –by Damian Young.
The most recent Zeus launch took place in the Italian coastal town of Anzio, where the local city council has appointed the company as its sole e-scooter provider along with local partner Green Motion.
“We are excited to bring our e-scooters to the beautiful and historical city of Anzio and are delighted to have been chosen by Anzio city council as the sole provider for the locality,” said Young.
“Cities everywhere are looking for a convenient, environmentally friendly and safe transport solution. Zeus e-scooters deliver on all fronts and this has been evidenced by the high level of usage by customers in other countries in which they operate. We look forward now with anticipation to serving the micromobility needs of the people of Anzio.”
Anzio councillor Valentina Salsedo commented at the launch: “We welcome the arrival of e-scooters to Anzio and see this as another solid step towards the achievement of our mission to build a sustainable and dynamic living environment for our citizens, businesses and visitors.”
Zeus currently has a 3,000-strong fleet of three-wheeled e-scooters and it plans to continue its expansion into other European countries as well as Asia and the US.
In January of this year, the company raised €2m to fund its European expansion, with investment led by the former CEO of car rental company Europcar, Colm Menton. Zeus also announced last month that it would be expanding its team in Ireland and other markets.
Zeus is awaiting the legislative change that will allow for e-scooters on Irish roads. But it will face stiff competition from companies including Dott, Zipp, Bleeper and others that are preparing to enter the Irish market as soon as e-scooter regulations are passed.
For the moment, e-scooters are not regulated for use in public places in Ireland, and they cannot be taxed or insured. This weekend, two e-scooter users had their vehicles seized by Gardaí in Buncrana, Co Donegal, after they were seen using the vehicles on footpaths.
