Bolt Launches E-Scooters in Prague

Bolt, the ride-share company which was formerly called Taxify, has launched electric kick scooters in Prague.

“Beating the traffic is a big issue in cities like Prague and a lot of trips are much more efficiently covered with an electric scooter rather than a car with a driver,” says Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder of Bolt.

There will be 500 virtual stands that were chosen by Bolt within the city districts, where one can park their scooter. The price per minute will be 2.50 CZK.

The new scooter weighs 17kg, which makes it the lightest model used in scooter sharing. This reduced weight is achieved through the scooter being made of 90% aluminium.

The scooter features inflatable tires that help ensure better grip and smoother, safer rides. It can go for more than 40km on a single charge. Its maximum speed is 25km/h. But this is obviously limited according to local regulations.

The scooter also features front and rear lights, as well as front and side reflectors to help maintain riders’ safety during dark hours.

“We think that’s a price point where really everyone can start using the service,” Bolt’s 27-year-old chief executive and co-founder Markus Villig said.

Bolt is one of a crop of so-called micromobility startups, including Tier, Lime and Voi, seeking to replace cars in city centres with more flexible and sustainable transport.

Active in more than 40 countries, Bolt already has 130,000 e-scooters on Europe’s roads.

Bolt also aims to offer superior reliability with its latest Bolt 4 scooter model, which comes with a modular, easy-to-repair design and which can be fully recycled.

More broadly, Bolt is looking to expand its presence into 150 European cities this year as part of a 100 million euro investment strategy, which it said would make it the region’s largest micromobility provider.