Shared Scooter Services Prepare for Expansion in London and New York City

Recent job advertisements and industry reports indicate that shared scooter companies, including Lime and Superpedestrian, are preparing to launch operations in London and New York City. These cities represent significant, largely untapped markets for these services.

An analysis of job listings, company websites, and LinkedIn profiles reveals that Lime and Dott are actively preparing for a London launch. Simultaneously, Lime, Superpedestrian, and potentially Spin are positioning themselves for entry into the New York market. These job postings suggest which companies anticipate securing the necessary operating permits.

Both London’s Department for Transport and the NYC City Council approved e-scooter pilot programs in the summer of 2020, responding to a demand for socially distanced transportation options. While London’s pilot was slated to begin in early 2021, and New York’s by March 1st, neither city has yet announced the companies awarded concessions.

Potential Operators in London: Dott, Tier, and Lime

Speculation suggests that Dott, Lime, and Tier may be among the companies operating within London’s pilot program. Evidence supporting this includes hiring activity on the companies’ websites and LinkedIn pages.

Dott, currently without a presence in the United Kingdom, is seeking a U.K.-based operations manager to establish operations from the ground up. They are also recruiting a public policy manager to represent Dott’s interests within the U.K. market.

A map on Dott’s website displays a marker for London, but clicking it leads to an error page.

Lime, already operating Jump e-bikes in London since last summer, appears to be expanding its presence. New job postings on LinkedIn indicate preparations for broader service offerings.

The company is actively recruiting a London-based general manager responsible for building and implementing the operational infrastructure needed for market growth in the United Kingdom. A separate operations manager role, also based in London, was posted approximately a month ago.

Voi is also potentially in contention, as evidenced by recent job postings on LinkedIn, including a six-month ambassador supervisor position. This temporary role may align with the year-long pilot program.

Bird has been operating in London’s Olympic Park since the summer and has actively advocated for legislative changes regarding scooter usage. This existing presence is reflected in their operating map, and they are currently hiring an operations associate for London and general U.K. operations.

New York City May Award Contracts to Lime, Superpedestrian, and Others

Lime already has a presence in New York City, with e-bikes operating in The Rockaways, Queens. Current job postings for a mechanic and an operations specialist specifically mention the management, maintenance, and deployment of Lime’s e-scooters.

Superpedestrian, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has posted four new job openings on its website and LinkedIn. These include a chief of staff position, ideally based in NYC, to support the CEO, and a general manager role responsible for the growth of their scooter share program in New York and New Jersey.

LinkedIn postings from Superpedestrian include an operations associate position focused on scooter charging, safety inspections, and deployment, as well as a scooter mechanic role, with a disclaimer acknowledging the contingent nature of operating in NYC.

Spin has also posted an operations lead position based in New York, responsible for managing drivers, mechanics, and building an efficient operations team. This suggests potential involvement in on-the-ground tasks and vehicle deployment.

Voi, with a strong European presence, is hoping to enter the U.S. market through New York City. While they haven’t posted NYC-specific job ads, their job board includes New York City as a location option.

Bird is also contributing to the speculation with two LinkedIn job postings based in New York. A general manager position requires local involvement, while an operations associate role is less specific about on-the-ground responsibilities.