Helbiz, a global leader in micro-mobility, today announced the launch of Rome, Italy’s first-ever fleet of electric scooters. At a press conference, hosted by the Mayor of Rome, Telepass and Helbiz, Mayor Virginia Raggi highlighted the city’s expanded partnership with the micro-mobility company to help promote social distancing measures and support mobility. One thousand e-scooters will join Helbiz’s existing fleet of 2,500 e-bikes across Rome, offering a safe and sustainable mode of transportation while being seamlessly integrated into Rome’s public transportation system.
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Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi with Helbiz e-scooters (Photo: Business Wire)
“Rome is starting again under the banner of sustainable mobility,” said Virginia Raggi, Mayor of Rome. “We welcome the first fleet of electric scooters, an innovative service that both citizens and tourists can use to travel around the city. This represents a new model of sharing and encourages private operators to invest in an internationally growing sector. During these unprecedented times, our habits have changed, and as an Administration, we are promoting new mobility choices. Rome is also changing through these innovative solutions with zero environmental impact.”
“Thanks to this service we are offering a concrete solution to the growing demand for dynamic and sustainable mobility in our city- a need that has emerged even stronger during this crisis,” added Pietro Calabrese, councillor of the Comune in Movimento. “Electric scooters, which thanks to the latest government regulations can also circulate on cycle paths, are an excellent transportation solution, especially for short distances. The use of micro-mobility devices will work well on the 150km of temporary cycle paths that are planned for Rome.”
“We are really proud to be the City of Rome’s first choice for micro-mobility,” said Salvatore Palella, founder and CEO of Helbiz. “As the world becomes more reliant on alternative modes of transportation, our scooters have proven to be a green, economical and convenient travel option. We’re certain that our devices will be appreciated by the Romans and the tourists that we all hope will soon return to visit the city.”
Helbiz is committed to investing in the expansion of micro-mobility solutions in the city and developing new technologies through agreements with the Municipality and its strategic partner, Telepass, on the integration of services.
“We believe it is essential to encourage new forms of micro-mobility sharing, which can make travel in large urban centers more sustainable and safer,” said Gabriele Benedetto, CEO of Telepass. “To help promote micro-mobility, we decided to offer Roman citizens free use of e-bicycles and e-scooters for the first half hour through Telepass Pay. Together, with innovative companies like Helbiz and important public administrations like the city of Rome, we’ll continue to build and expand sustainable and affordable mobility solutions.”
To access Helbiz, users only need to pay 1€ for the initial unlocking + 0.15€ per minute for the ride. Additionally, the company recently introduced its first subscription program offering users unlimited daily rides for less than 1€ a day. At 29.99€ a month, Helbiz Unlimited allows users to ride Helbiz’s fleet of e-scooters or e-bikes for 30 minutes at a time. Users who access Helbiz through Telepass Pay will be able to ride their first thirty minutes for free.
Continued Palella, “Helbiz has always been focused on service, accessibility and technology. In Rome during this pandemic, Helbiz experienced an increase in the use of our e-bikes by 300% with average trips lasting 60% longer. This demonstrated that today, citizens need to be able to move around and save money with the least environmental impact. Our technology allows us to improve our service over time through algorithms that evaluate the routes, position, recharging and the parking of the vehicles. The mobility of our cities must be able to count on a combination of new and existing technologies and micro-mobility is the solution.”
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ABOUT HELBIZ
Helbiz is a global leader in micro-mobility services. Launched in 2016 and headquartered in New York City, the company operates e-scooters and e-bicycles in over 20 cities around the world including Milan, Rome, Washington DC, Alexandria, Arlington and Miami. Helbiz utilizes a customized, proprietary fleet management platform, artificial intelligence and environmental mapping to optimize operations and business sustainability.
ABOUT TELEPASS
The Telepass group was founded in 2017 in order to create an integrated system of services for mobility in urban and suburban areas: an ecosystem of companies born to give people the opportunity to move freely, without obstacles. The areas of expertise range from the management of services in mobility, to electronic payments and insurance. Today, the companies of the Telepass Group are committed to extending and guaranteeing access to their services in Europe as well, in order to truly transform every move into an experience without borders.
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