More than 200 projects launched

This summer, people in Riga could enjoy the city with RIDE – electric bikes that looked like real e-mopeds. The team launched the service right after the Covid-19 restrictions were eased with a cool launch event and the title of the most downloaded app on the App Store in the country.

Launch date: Summer 2020

Country: Latvia

Fleet: Xiaomi HIMO T1

Web page: https://ridemobility.eu

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/lt/app/id1522014903

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ride.app

Founder and the CEO of the RIDE Edgars Jakobsons first considered launching a ride-sharing business in his hometown Riga after visiting Singapore in 2019. “This was the first time I tried e-scooters myself. It was a fun experience and I thought that people elsewhere might also like it. When I came back to Riga, the first e-scooter sharing service had already started to operate here. We followed soon after in collaboration with Bolt,” Edgars remembers. A year later, he decided to create his own independent company that would offer a new means of transportation – electric bikes.

The future is in electricity

RIDE is the daughter company of TrafoNet – an organization that provides its customers with industrial electrical equipment. TrafoNet has been previously involved in the development of the infrastructure for electric vehicles – for just over two years now, the company has set up electric vehicle charging stations. “I think that electrical transportation is our inescapable future. When we started to set up stations, we didn’t know when there was going to be a demand for them. Now all the biggest car manufacturers have an electrical car to offer. And people are ready to pay for them.” Edgars believes in the future of electricity. That’s where the choice of electric bikes comes from. And, of course, there are no similar vehicles in the ride- sharing market in Riga. That was the second stimulus.

The season started later than expected due to Covid-19 pandemics – electric bikes appeared on streets on July 15. However, the launch event attracted huge attention – RIDE bikes were offered to ride for free for the first day. It is possible to drive approximately 45 kilometres with one full charge so this was enough to even get to one of Latvia’s summer capitals – Jurmala – and enjoy nice weather by the sea.

Respectively app downloads exceeded the company’s expectations. “Half the people who downloaded the app have tried our service at least once. Yes, we can say that we are lucky, but there is an enormous amount of work behind luck. Moreover, you should always enter the market actively and aggressively. That’s what we did! Competitive advantage should be easily understood and perceived by the client. And the devil is always in the details,” says Edgars, sharing his experience.

Weather conditions and vandalism – the two main challenges

Latvia is not the best place on Earth to start am electric bike ride-sharing business, because everything depends on weather conditions. Theoretically, it is possible to ride a bike all year long but there would be a small number of people interested in that. If temperatures are low during the coldest months of the year, the ride won’t be enjoyable. However, RIDE is ready to provide its services for as long as there is a demand for them.

The second biggest challenge for the business is people’s attitude. “We want to live in Europe, but sometimes I have a feeling that we are still in the Soviet Union. Plastic as well as mechanical components are broken. Screens have been smashed. These components need to be ordered constantly which creates remarkable costs. It’s a pity that there are so many people who don’t value the work of others,” says Edgars.

Not an easy business

Since the ride-sharing business has become popular, Edgars expects new players to enter the market any time now: “I just wanted to say that it is not an easy business. It is tough and more like a hobby to me. If you think that there’s a huge profit margin here, you’re wrong. When we served a Bolt fleet last year, there were 25 people on the team! You have to pay proper salaries, because the job is not easy and often people have to work at night or during early morning hours. In addition, we pay all our taxes. You really have to like this business a lot to invest your time and money in it.”

One thing Edgars is sure about is that this won’t be RIDE’S last season. The company has plans to expand in the Baltic region, as well as in countries all around the Baltic Sea. RIDE will work to establish its spots locally that will support the ride-sharing business in different cities. However, Edgars stresses that the company has gained experience and technical competences that are easier to replicate then to gather for the first time.

RIDE has chosen the Atom Mobility software that is used in their apps and dashboard. “Three factors are important for us as a partner – costs and costs of developing new features, the availability of different solutions as well as the quality of communication. Unless all these aspects also have value for our partner, we won’t be interested in changing it or creating our solution,” says Edgars.

“Using ATOM Mobility's platform, we were able to open up our taxi business to an entirely different target market  – younger people. We've been able to offer a more simplified booking process to continue offering quality service to our customers, which is our guiding principle.” - Jamal, Founder and CEO of Vift

Experience in the taxi business: 6 years
Country: Sweden
Web page: https://viftmobility.com
App store: https://apps.apple.com/vn/app/vift/id1631027113
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=vift.app

As engineering students in the Swedish city of Örebro, just west of Stockholm, the Zindi brothers saw market demand and decided to launch their own taxi company. Starting six years ago, the business has grown to account for 8% of the local taxi market, attracting a higher-end clientele. 

One year ago, founder and CEO Jamal Zindi was looking for opportunities to further grow his business. At the time, Vift operated as a classical taxi company – based on receiving phone calls and dispatching drivers. By using the ATOM Mobility platform, he was able to launch his own dedicated mobile app, which clients could use to directly order and pay for their taxis. 

The effect of digitising his business was immediate – Jamal shares that they have received a considerable boost to business, as it opens the door to a new target audience. He shares that human behaviour regarding booking has changed. Many young people don't like picking up the phone to make a taxi booking, or people sitting in meetings aren't able to make a call. Having an app to offer makes all the difference.

Quality as a North Star

Jamal shares that throughout all of his journey as an entrepreneur, his guiding principle has always been to offer the best possible quality to clients. 

“In the services sector, it's not about who offers it cheaper, it's who serves their clients better. We offer better cars, better drivers, better customer experience. If you do it better, people will be willing to pay a premium,” explains Jamal.

In the early days, Vift's differentiating factor was an improved experience. They, and their drivers, were from an academic background. They were younger than most taxi drivers in Örebro at the time, which Jamal considered an advantage. They were able to bring an improved customer experience to their clients, which was appreciated. 

They aren't in a hurry to expand in size or geography. Jamal emphasises that they're looking to build a solid foundation and only then expand upon that.

“We don't want to start with too many cars. Our strategy is to build up the business in stages. Because if the foundation is strong, you will not fall. Once you have a system in place, it's easier to go to other cities.”

Vift has its own fleet of cars, and, using the ATOM Mobility platform, it can now onboard other drivers onto its platform. Though they're not in a hurry – they're establishing quality first and then will look beyond their borders.

Locally-owned as a key differentiator

The city of Örebro does not lack in its fair share of taxi sharing apps. They have Bolt, Uber, and others. But what Vift can offer and Uber can't, is hyper-local customer service – both for drivers and for end-customers.

“There are Bolt and Uber, they drive very cheaply. But the management and owners are not in Sweden. So if you have a question, you won't receive a response that fully understands your situation. People appreciate that we're from Sweden, that they can contact us, and that they can receive a response in their own language,” comments Jamal.

Using their competitive advantage, they believe that in just 2 years, they will be the biggest company in Örebro. And after that, they'll replicate their experience in other cities, still based on quality-over-quantity.

The secret to surviving in the taxi business – thinking 10 years ahead

One thing that sets Vift apart from traditional taxi services is their future-oriented mindset. Jamal shares that when making business decisions, he thinks about what will be relevant in 5-10 years' time. This way, he's able to stay ahead of the competition, and relevant to his customers.

One way this comes across is in the vehicles they choose. 

“Right now, all of our cars are hybrid. But very soon we'll be switching to a fully electric vehicle fleet. It's the better choice – for business, for the environment. That is where mobility is heading, and that's where we have to be as well.”

When asked about his tips for other entrepreneurs looking to start their own taxi business, Jamal stays true to his values:

“Constant development. Professional standards. Work with the heart. Quality is what matters. Consider the future – if you only do things for today, then you'll fall down.” 

Through working together, Vift has significantly increased its demand and revenue. Laying the strong foundation for digital services, Vift can now continue to build out the business and reach its goals of dominating the local market and expanding past its borders.

Learn more about ATOM Mobility ride-hailing and taxi platform here: https://ride.atommobility.com

When Alessio Treglia first encountered shared scooters on a trip to Lisbon in 2019, he instantly saw potential. At the time, Italy had no similar micromobility services, and the simplicity of the scooter-sharing experience – especially how easy it was through the app – left a strong impression.
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That moment led to the creation of Elerent, a company that now operates in more than 60 cities across Italy, Malta, Greece, and Spain. Built entirely on a franchise model, Elerent empowers local entrepreneurs to run their own fleets under a unified brand and tech platform. Today, Elerent is expanding across new cities, vehicle types, and even business models – including a ride-hailing app called WOPPH, designed specifically for the Italian market.

Launch date: June 2020. Migrated to ATOM Mobility in May 2025
Country: Italy, Malta, Greece, and Spain
App downloads: Over 100,000 (Android)
App rating: 4,7 / 5 from 965+ reviews (Google Play) and 4.6 / 5 from 1600+ reviews (App Store)
Fleet: Over 4,000 vehicles across 60+ cities
Web page: https://elerent.com
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/it/app/elerent/id1518090808
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elerent.elerent

Starting with inspiration – and a delayed launch

Alessio was already managing several businesses in Italy when he came across Tier scooters in Lisbon. Curious about the model and impressed by how easily it worked, he returned to Rome with the idea of starting something similar. He began researching the sector, gathered insights from local entrepreneurs, and launched a pilot project. Everything was ready by early 2020, but the pandemic delayed the official launch. Instead of stopping, Alessio used that time to study the market more deeply and refine the model. In June 2020, the first Elerent city went live.

Focusing on cities the big players skipped

From the start, Elerent’s strategy was clear: avoid direct competition with large operators like Dott or Bird in crowded urban centres. Instead, the team focused on small and mid-sized cities, especially those with strong tourism traffic. The franchise model made this possible. Local partners handled daily operations and worked directly with municipalities, while Elerent provided the brand, tech platform, and support. This approach allowed the company to scale efficiently, without needing large operational teams in each location.

One supplier per vehicle type

Elerent began with scooters, later adding bikes, mopeds, and in some cities, cars. Scooters are still the most popular option across their network, especially in resort towns. Bike sharing is growing fast and has become a key focus for expansion. Mopeds, on the other hand, have proven more complex to manage and scale. To keep things efficient, the team prefers working with a single hardware supplier per category. For scooters, that’s mostly Segway. Standardizing hardware has made training, maintenance, and spare part sourcing easier across all cities.

Running the business day-to-day

Each city is run by a local entrepreneur who manages deployment, maintenance, and local relationships. These franchisees are incentivised to ensure smooth operations – they earn directly from ride revenue. Elerent monitors each location using a few simple metrics: average rides per vehicle per day, and how many vehicles are active. This helps the team identify issues like maintenance delays or low demand, and offer support where needed. “They know their cities better than we ever could,” Alessio explains. “That’s why the model works.”

Switching platforms and finding the right tech

Before partnering with ATOM Mobility, Elerent had worked with several other fleet management platforms. Alessio is direct about what he learned through that experience: frequent migrations are expensive, risky, and damaging to customer trust. “Every migration costs you money, time, and reputation,” he says. “That’s why it’s so important to choose the right software partner early and stick with them.”

After testing different solutions, Alessio chose ATOM Mobility based on the platform’s reliability, flexibility, and partner-first approach. “We found a solid product that does what we need it to do,” he says. “It’s stable, it’s scalable, and it supports our franchise structure and multi-vehicle operations across many cities. That’s not easy to find.”

He also values the working relationship. “The ATOM team actually listens. We’ve been able to suggest changes and improvements, and they respond fast,” he adds. “They understand how operators think. It’s not just a software provider – it’s a real partner.”

Smarter decisions with AI

To improve fleet performance and decision-making, Elerent has integrated Switch’s Urban Copilot – an AI-driven tool that supports operators with actionable data insights. “Everyone talks about AI, but this is one of the only tools that actually delivers results,” says Alessio. “We don’t have our own analytics team, but with Switch, we get the insights we need to make better decisions.”

Supporting local launches

Whenever a new city goes live, Elerent supports the franchisee with launch marketing, hands-on training, and operational onboarding. This includes local promotions with hotels and restaurants, technical setup, and on-the-ground support during the first week of service. The goal is to make each new launch consistent, reliable, and locally relevant.

WOPPH: An alternative to ride-hailing in Italy

WOPPH (pronounced “wopp”) is Elerent’s newest product – a ride-hailing app designed specifically for the Italian market, where traditional platforms like Uber are limited to taxi dispatching. WOPPH allows private individuals to offer rides to others, using a peer-to-peer model that fits within the local legal framework. Users can book rides, view pricing, and track arrivals – all through the app (powered by ATOM Mobility). The service has already launched in Rome and is set to expand to ten more cities in the coming months.

WOPPH is also experimenting with other modes of transport, including golf carts, delivery vehicles, and even private planes for day trips. The app will also allow users to turn their personal vehicles into shared cars using IoT devices – letting drivers choose between offering rides or enabling self-service access. “It’s an ambitious product,” Alessio says. “But the market response has been very positive.”

Looking ahead: growth through opportunity

Alessio believes the timing is right for continued expansion. With hardware costs falling and large operators focusing more on profitability than growth, there’s room for companies like Elerent to expand into new markets, especially with second-hand vehicles. “We can buy nearly-new units from major suppliers at half the price,” he says. “That opens a lot of doors.”

The focus now is on growing Elerent’s reach, continuing to support franchisees, and scaling WOPPH into a national mobility platform. With multiple projects moving forward in parallel, Elerent is positioning itself as a flexible, tech-enabled operator in markets that global players often overlook.

During the pandemic, Kyiv - the capital city of Ukraine - has changed. The local government decided to increasingly focus on the green course by creating a huge amount of bicycle lanes. Even big streets were transformed into two-lane streets and cycling lanes were added. It is a real micro-mobility service paradise, isn't it? Service providers – both global brands and small local companies - responded quickly and took the opportunity to run their businesses there. One of them is Zelectra - a company created by locals, which has just finished a very successful first season.

Launch date: Spring 2021
Country: Ukraine
Fleet: 300 scooters and 350 mopeds
Web page: https://zelectra.com.ua/en/
Team: 25+ team members
Cool fact: 2,500 rides were taken on 250 scooters in 1 day
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ua/app/zelectra/id1545583319?l=ru
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ride.app

Sergey and Eugine - co-founders of Zelectra - have been friends since childhood. The idea of a micro-mobility business came about when one of their friends told them he had contacts with the manufacturer in China that could provide vehicles if they are interested in starting a business in Kyiv. “We have never worked with scooters before, but thought that we could try to offer a last-mile service. That's how it all started. However, in the beginning, we laughed about the idea and went in separate directions. But somehow this idea didn't let us go. Then we decided to do the calculations. That was the moment when we became really interested in developing a solution,” explains Eugine. This all happened at the beginning of 2019. At the end of the year, both friends understood that they would launch a micro-mobility business in 2020. 

Learning together with the local government

The decision was made to launch in Kyiv - the city familiar to both of them. They hoped to be the first, but unfortunately, the pandemic slightly changed their plans. Global micro-mobility service provider Bolt launched in 2020, while four other companies followed in 2021. One was Zelectra. “The reason we started later was due to technical challenges, as well as some challenges while ordering vehicles. Of course, we had heard that there might be hurdles, but we didn't realize what they really meant,” Eugine recalls. For example, banks were looking at their potential business and thought that they were crazy. They didn't want to take the newly-formed team seriously. 

“It was the same story with the government. When they got familiar with Bolt, they had a very poor understanding of what a micro-mobility service is. The scooter as a vehicle was not subject to any regulation. It does not count as transport, and what is an actual micromobility solution? Does the rider need a license? Where is it possible to drive? Are helmets mandatory? Where can vehicles be left? It was a similar story with the electric mopeds with 3kw power that we also offered - they did not correspond to any norms. When we put those vehicles on the street for the first time, we were told that we were breaking the law. Our vehicles didn't have number plates. People were driving all over the place and leaving vehicles on sidewalks. We explained to the government that none of the means of transportation were defined by regulations and finally they accepted this. So now we are growing together,” says Eugine. “On the one hand, we have some additional duties imposed by the government. On the other, the government is helping us a lot. The development of a huge number of cycling lanes changed the attitude of locals not only towards riding bicycles, but also scooters. It was no longer considered to be something weird.” 

Hired 26 people on the spot

Zelectra was the smallest company in the market with the fewest vehicles - 300 scooters and 350 mopeds. The company bought scooters from the manufacturer in China, whereas the mopeds were manufactured locally. They didn't build a software platform from scratch. They used the ATOM Mobility solution. Eugene explains that it was important for them to find a reliable partner and not to struggle with development as they were not sure that they could easily find a common language with developers.

“All that we heard and all that we have been told before - it doesn't work that way here in Kyiv. We talked a great deal with different European companies. And what we said is that we, in contrast to them, have to be available 24/7. Our vehicles are often stolen. They have been thrown into the River Dnepra. That's why the first month was tough - we gradually realized that it was one situation how we had imagined things would be, but the reality was completely different. We suddenly had to collect a team of 26 people. We had to buy cars and brand them for the team to be able to serve all vehicles. We paid all our taxes and during the season we succeeded in building a really good team where everyone felt needed,” says Sergey.

“Looking back at our first season, I would say that we are happy that we didn't embarrass ourselves,” adds Eugine. “Our app has 10,000 downloads. We succeeded in creating the rhythm of changing batteries and making vehicles available on streets that are fully operational. By the way, battery life is not as long as the manufacturers had said it would. Batteries had to be changed twice as often. However, during the best day of the season, 2,500 rides were taken on 250 scooters. And this is what we are really proud of, because it is not easy to always find our scooters, but people were apparently looking for them.” 

Here to stay for the greener future

Zelectra doesn't reveal the exact number of vehicles they are preparing for the next season, but the amount is going to be significantly higher. In addition, they are planning to launch their service in three to four new cities in Ukraine. “We are here to stay. We do really care about our service, because we want Kyiv to become a green city. We hope that the fact that we are here has also helped the local government to rethink infrastructure, as well as its attitude towards the environment. If we get the chance, we would like to have an all-electric business of scooters, bikes, mopeds, electric cars. We will try to expand and use everything electric to help Kiev become a greener city,” says Eugene, revealing the company’s mission.