Yahoo Finance German startup Tier hires former Uber executives to lead UK e-scooter launch
Tier Mobility, the German electric-scooter startup, has hired two former senior Uber (UBER) executives to help it launch in the UK.
The Berlin-based startup, which offers shared e-scooters and electric mopeds, announced on Monday that Fred Jones would become Tier’s UK general manager, and Benjamin Bell will be the head of public policy for Northern Europe.
Jones was most recently the general manager of UK and Ireland for Uber. Bell was on Uber’s UKI leadership team, recently heading up public policy nationally across Uber and Jump.
“Fred and Ben are already leaders in the e-mobility world and, as we expand across Europe, their years of experience at a hugely successful fast growth business will be invaluable,” Tier Mobility co-founder and chief executive Lawrence Leuschner said in a statement. “We are very happy to have both of them on board as we look to establish ourselves as the leading UK provider of e-scooters.”
READ MORE: Tier becomes first e-scooter company to use swappable batteries
A press spokesperson told Yahoo Finance UK that they estimate the first trials in the UK will be live at the end of July — but cannot say more at this stage since the trials are decided on a city-by-city basis and the speed of launch will depend on the procurement process of individual cities.
Social distancing rules can be difficult to maintain on public transport, and the risk of transmission has made public transport a less appealing option for many people.
The UK government announced in May that it was considering fast-tracking legislation to allow for the first e-scooter trials, with a view to legalising rental scooters.
Tier said that the new hires come at a “landmark moment in Tier’s two-year history, with both set to play integral roles in the company’s plan to bring its market-leading e-scooters to cities across the UK, following the Department for Transport’s move to fast-track trials in the wake of COVID-19.”
Tier, which was founded in 2018 by Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug, and Julian Blessin, holds a 20% global market share in the e-scooter sector, and has a presence in over 60 cities in nine countries.
