Finland’s capital city region will see city scooters and e-scooters available from next summer.
Helsinki’s regional transport authority (HSL) says it will create 50 docking stations for the system, which is set to be wheeled out around the centre of the city. The project came about thanks to the IdeaLab competition, which was won by a Russian firm who suggested the scooters.
“The service is a great example of future services,” said Tiina Kähö of the Smart and Clean foundation, who helped judge the competition. “Scooters are an effective mode of transport for the first or last kilometre of a journey.”
The Samocat Sharing company’s service demands installation of an app, at least in its pilot phase. The service will include both traditional and electrically-powered scooters.
HSL sought new ideas for the future of mobility through the IdeaLab contest, and dished out some one million euros in prize money for the winners.
The runner-up was Espoo company ViaVan Technologies, which aims to offer a ride-ordering service to Espoo residents. In the pilot stage the company will run eight vehicles, and it estimates that customers will pay around five euros for their lift.
The IdeaLab contest attracted 26 entries, with around a third of them coming from outside Finland.