How to find profitability in the e-scooter sharing industry – a conversation with Bullride
September 8, 2022
min. read
When it comes to the future of e-scooter sharing, there are some pretty conflicting opinions out there. Some say it's the future of micromobility, others are less optimistic.
Ultimately, the success of scooter operators all depends on their ability to find profitability.
Let's be honest – this industry has higher-than-average overhead costs. The hardware itself is a major investment, and profits are further seeped by the maintenance workforce, storage, relocation costs, and new regulatory requirements that are regularly introduced.
But profitability is possible.
We spoke to Heiko Hildebrandt, co-founder of Bullride, which helps mobility companies offload their assets from their balance sheet to keep them in the black.
The state of the scooter industry – hopeful
The economy is just starting to stabilize as we exit the Covid slump and enter the new normal. How did Covid affect the micromobility sphere?
A study published in Bloomberg found that monthly ridership fell drastically in 2021, but made a comeback in 2022 when people returned to office.
Source: Bloomberg
Now, that's using US-based brands as a model.
Heiko Hildebrandt shares that the scooter operators he's worked with have experienced a similar effect:
“Corona was the greatest fuel you could pour onto the micromobility fire. During Corona times, people hardly used public transport, and most people switched to scooters. We saw two of the biggest micromobility brands in Europe, Bolt and Tier, raise record-setting VC investment at the end of 2021 – totaling 1.4B EUR – a clear sign of traction. And since Covid has ended, we've seen a 30%-40% slump in demand. So was Covid bad for business? Not according to my perspective.”
However, according to Heiko, the real challenge is to make the unit economics work. Because the question is not about whether the product is in demand. The question is does it make sense from a business perspective.
The challenges the scooter industry faces
The scooter industry, while in demand, must face challenges that directly impact their unit economics. For some businesses, it pushes them over the edge and drives them into insolvency.
By knowing what those challenges are, scooter businesses can better set up their business models to protect their profitability.
Rising hardware costs
In order for a scooter's lifetime to be profitable, it has to be in use for at least 2 seasons – some even say, for 4 years. That means that the scooter has to be durable, easily maintained, with cost-efficient replacement parts.
“Scooters are usually imported from abroad (mostly China), and shipping costs are now 8x higher than they were two years ago. The costs of electronics components are ever increasing.”
Jürgen Sahtel, Manager of the ATOM Vehicle Marketplace, agrees that the prices have gone up over the past two years.
“For example, hardware prices for the new Segway models have increased more than 40% over the last 16 months. And this trend is across all manufacturers – new scooters could be obtained starting from 650EUR and up, while more advanced models readily available in EU are priced at around 1000EUR per unit.”
The hardware is one of the biggest up-front investments that a scooter operator faces. But it's also critical to balance cost with quality, as you need to be so resilient that it can withstand public use over the course of 2-4 years.
Expanding regulation
When the e-scooter sharing industry took off, the industry was so fresh that there wasn't any regulation in place to keep it in check. It was the wild west, and operators were able to take advantage of the regulatory grey area.
Now, municipalities are starting to crack down on the industry and putting laws into place. Regulation, overall, is a good thing. However, the way it's done now shows a lack of understanding about the unit economics and its regulation that is being enacted.
“Most municipalities are limiting the size of a fleet that one scooter competitor can have. Their goal is to reduce the amount of scooter clutter on the streets. But that number is often too low to ensure what we call “natural floating” – the process of humans moving the scooters around the city. This puts a larger strain on relocation and charging teams.”
Other burdens placed on scooter brands is the stricter demarcation of allowable parking zones. This is a factor that impacts relocation teams – those responsible for bringing scooters from less popular zones back to city centers and transport hubs. Additionally, mandatory tenders with the municipality are usually offered only for one year, making planning rather difficult.
A new trend that Heiko mentions seeing from a regulatory perspective is the emergence of mandatory insurance.
“Scooters used to be classified as bikes, and thus, similarly regulated. Now, they're being reclassified as motored vehicles, which have different regulatory requirements, including mandatory insurance.”
This further skews the unit economics of each ride.
On the other hand, regulation can also play an enabling factor. Heiko shares that if tenders could be extended for, say, 3 years, it could provide scooter brands with planning stability. If municipalities limited only 2 competitors in a city, this would ensure enough demand to make the unit economics work.
Finding profitability in unlikely places – Bullride's unique business model
Heiko believes that the future lies in the shared economy. He's among the 4 co-founders of Bullride, an investment platform that shoulders the burden of the hardware investment and splits the scooter rent with the operating brand.
How does it work?
- The Bullride platform crowdfunds the costs of the initial scooter investment. These people become your investors. Instead of giving away equity (ownership) of your company, they end up “owning” one of your scooters (1 scooter = 1,000 EUR).
- The order is made into one of the top scooter manufacturers that have the best longevity – Bullride does this for you.
- You split the rental income – 55% for you, 30% for investors, 15% for Bullride.
The idea works for a number of reasons.
- You'll need money. A bank is unlikely to fund a scooter venture (because of historically low profitability), and a VC will ask for equity. This way, you get the investment, while retaining full control.
- Bullride has very specific requirements. They know what works, and what doesn't. They only work together with entrepreneurs that meet their very strict requirements. That includes entering a city that has no more than 2 competitors, and a city that has no more than 100,000 inhabitants. 30,000 is the ideal sweetspot. You also only have one employee – and that's you.
The operating brand then may use a leading vehicle-sharing platform ATOM Mobility, to fast-track their time to market. ATOM takes profitability even further with its unique pricing model. Instead of the common model of cost-per-vehicle, ATOM uses a cost-per-ride model. That means that if you have less demand (and as a result, less income) in a certain month, then you pay less for use of the ATOM platform.
But scooter sharing is just the beginning. This same model, Heiko believes, can be applied to e-bikes, e-scooters, carsharing, even wind turbines and major investments like that. Why shouldn't a community be able to jointly invest in and co-own the infrastructure that they need to live?
This is a unique model that hasn't been commonly seen elsewhere. It's more than just scooters – Bullride believes that at the heart of it, what they're doing is democratizing asset ownership.
If you're looking to launch or scale your own vehicle-sharing business, contact the ATOM Mobility team to learn more abut this opportunity.
Ask AI for an article overview
Let AI explain why entrepreneurs choose ATOM Mobility
Interested in launching your own mobility platform?
Blog
.jpeg)
How to launch a scooter sharing business in 2026: A step-by-step guide
🛴 Launching a scooter-sharing business takes much more than buying scooters and publishing an app. Choosing the right city, selecting reliable hardware, planning operations, and investing in software that can scale all play a major role in building a successful mobility business. This guide walks you through every stage of the process, from market research and business model selection to fleet management, customer acquisition, and how operators can launch in as little as 20 days.
August 6, 2026
min. read
Launching a scooter-sharing business no longer requires millions in funding or a team of software engineers. What once took large mobility companies years to build can now be launched in a matter of weeks. The challenge has shifted from technology to execution. Today's operators compete on reliability, operational efficiency, and the ability to work with cities rather than around them.
The opportunity, however, remains strong. According to the 2025 European Shared Mobility Index, Europe recorded more than 640 million shared mobility trips in 2024, with scooters remaining one of the largest mobility segments. For entrepreneurs looking to enter the market, the biggest advantage is that they no longer have to build everything from scratch. Proven business models, mature hardware, and established software platforms have made launching a scooter-sharing service much more accessible than it was just a few years ago.
Here's what to consider before launching your first fleet.
Step 1: Choose the right city
The success of a scooter-sharing business often depends more on the city than on the scooters themselves. Before investing in vehicles, take time to understand the local market. Does the city issue permits for scooter-sharing operators? Are there already established competitors? Is the population dense enough to support frequent short trips? Well-developed cycling infrastructure and strong public transport networks can also work in your favour by creating first and last mile travel opportunities. Competition isn't necessarily a bad sign. If multiple operators are already active, it usually means there is proven demand. The challenge is understanding whether there's room for another service and how your business can differentiate itself.
Step 2: Build a business model that fits your market
One of the first decisions is choosing how riders will use your service. Some operators choose a free-floating model, where scooters can be picked up and parked anywhere within a designated service area. Others prefer station-based systems that require trips to start and end at fixed locations. Free-floating fleets offer greater flexibility for users, while station-based systems usually provide more predictable operations, simpler charging logistics, and fewer parking issues.
Pricing deserves just as much attention. Many operators combine an unlock fee with per-minute pricing, while others introduce subscriptions, ride bundles, or daily passes for frequent users. It's also worth defining your target utilisation rate before purchasing vehicles. A fleet of 200 scooters averaging five trips per day is generally a healthier business than a fleet of 500 scooters averaging only one or two.
Step 3: Choose hardware that will last
Buying scooters is only one part of the investment. Operators should look beyond purchase price and evaluate durability, battery capacity, weather resistance, maintenance requirements, spare part availability, and the total cost of ownership over several years.
The hardware inside each scooter is equally important. GPS tracking, remote locking, battery monitoring, vehicle diagnostics, and theft protection all depend on reliable IoT connectivity. Many newer operators also choose swappable battery systems because they reduce downtime and allow batteries to be replaced on the street instead of transporting scooters back to a warehouse for charging.
Choosing hardware that integrates smoothly with your software platform will make expansion much easier later on.
Step 4: Select software that can grow with your business
The customer usually sees only the mobile app, but software runs almost every part of a scooter-sharing business. Beyond booking and payments, operators need tools for fleet management, pricing, subscriptions, maintenance scheduling, customer support, analytics, reporting, and day-to-day administration. As fleets grow, managing these processes manually quickly becomes unrealistic. When comparing software providers, look beyond the list of features. Consider how well the platform integrates with your hardware, whether new vehicle types can be added later, and how much of the daily operational work can be automated, what other operators are saying about the software.
Platforms such as ATOM Mobility's vehicle-sharing software bring rider apps, fleet management, payments, maintenance workflows, and analytics together in one system, allowing operators to manage the business without relying on multiple disconnected tools.
Step 5: Think about your first riders before launch day
Successful operators usually spend weeks preparing their first marketing campaigns before the fleet goes live. Referral programmes can encourage existing users to invite friends, while partnerships with universities, hotels, offices, residential developments, and local businesses help introduce the service to potential riders. Introductory discounts often work well during launch, but long-term success depends on giving people a reason to keep coming back after the promotion ends.
Step 6: Prepare your operations before the first ride
Many mobility businesses don't struggle because demand is low – they struggle because operations become difficult to manage as the fleet grows. Before launch, operators should already have clear procedures covering:
- vehicle inspections
- charging and battery swaps
- maintenance and repairs
- fleet balancing
- customer support
- incident reporting
It is also worth deciding when operational action should be triggered. For example, at what battery level should a scooter be collected? How many inactive hours should pass before a vehicle is relocated? When should damaged scooters automatically be removed from service? Answering these questions early helps create consistent operations as the business grows.
How long does it actually take to launch?
Building custom mobility software from scratch can easily take 6-12 months or more, particularly when mobile apps, payments, IoT integrations, and fleet management systems all need to be developed from 0. Custom mobility software also costs 10 times more and may not be delivered in time.
Using a white-label platform shortens that process considerably. With ATOM Mobility's vehicle-sharing platform, operators can often launch in as little as 20 days, depending on branding, hardware integrations, payment setup, and operational readiness. That allows founders to spend less time developing software and more time preparing the business itself.
Launching a scooter-sharing business has never been easier from a technical perspective, but long-term success still depends on execution. Choosing the right city, investing in reliable hardware, selecting software that can grow with the business, and establishing strong operational processes all have a much bigger impact than simply deploying more scooters. The operators that build those foundations early are usually the ones best positioned to scale in the years that follow.
Want to learn more?
For entrepreneurs who want to dive deeper, ATOM Academy (https://www.atommobility.com/academy) is a free online learning platform created by mobility industry experts. It includes practical video courses covering topics such as:
- How to launch a shared mobility business
- Fleet operations and maintenance best practices
- Pricing and business models
- Marketing, support and customer acquisition
- Mobility software tutorials and platform walkthroughs
- Industry trends and expert insights
Whether you're preparing to launch your first fleet or looking to optimise an existing operation, the Academy provides practical guidance based on real-world experience from hundreds of mobility projects worldwide.
Blog
New feature alert: Vehicle availability calendar for P2P rentals
📆🚗 Managing vehicle availability is now easier than ever. Each rental vehicle can now have its own availability schedule, allowing operators or vehicle owners to define exactly when it can be booked. Keep vehicles available 24/7, create recurring weekly schedules, configure multiple unavailable periods, and make one-time availability changes directly from the calendar - all while preventing conflicts with existing bookings.
August 4, 2026
min. read
Managing vehicle availability has become much more flexible. With the new Vehicle availability calendar, every rental vehicle now has its own availability schedule, allowing operators or vehicle owners to define exactly when a vehicle can be booked.
By default, vehicles remain available 24/7, but operators can switch to a custom schedule and configure recurring unavailable periods or make one-time availability adjustments directly from the calendar.
Key capabilities
📅 24/7 availability by default
Newly added vehicles are automatically available around the clock. No additional setup is required.
🔄 Recurring weekly availability schedules
Configure custom weekly availability for each individual vehicle by defining one or multiple unavailable periods for every day of the week.
Navigation:
Vehicles → Select vehicle → Edit → Set availability
⚙️ Multiple unavailable periods per day
Need to block vehicles for maintenance, charging, cleaning, or personal use? Add as many unavailable time slots as needed for each day.
📆 One-time availability changes
Override the recurring schedule for a specific date without affecting the permanent weekly configuration. Perfect for holidays, temporary maintenance, or special events.
Navigation:
Vehicles → Calendar view → Click any available or unavailable time slot to add or edit
🔴 Visual availability overview
Unavailable periods are highlighted directly in the vehicle calendar, making it easy to identify when a vehicle can or cannot be booked.
🛡️ Booking conflict protection
To prevent scheduling issues, the system validates every availability change. If the selected period overlaps with an existing booking, the update cannot be saved and the operator will receive an error informing them that a booking already exists for that time.
How it works
The feature combines two layers of availability:
- Recurring schedule – the vehicle's permanent weekly availability pattern.
- Calendar exceptions – one-time changes that apply only to a specific date without modifying the recurring schedule.
For example, if a vehicle is normally unavailable every Wednesday from 10:00–12:00, you can temporarily extend, edit or reduce availability for a single Wednesday while leaving all future Wednesdays unchanged.
Why it matters
P2P rental businesses often manage vehicles with different owner preferences and operating hours. This feature gives operators the flexibility to support virtually any availability scenario while keeping bookings accurate and preventing scheduling conflicts.
Whether you're managing a small peer-to-peer fleet or thousands of rental vehicles, the new vehicle availability calendar makes availability management significantly easier and more reliable.
Driver App demo credentials - Email: test@atom.com, Password: driver
