Ampler and Kõu Merge to Expand Micromobility in Estonia

Estonian micromobility companies Ampler and Kõu Mobility have decided to merge.

The companies inked an investment and share-swap agreement that makes Kõu the new majority shareholder of Ampler, the firms announced Wednesday (Feb. 14). It’s the latest example of the growing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters in Europe and the Middle East.

“Ampler and Kõu Mobility Group have been pursuing a similar mission and have already cooperated in the past, so it made a lot of sense to take the next step,” said Ardo Kaurit, CEO and co-founder of Ampler. “As they say, ’If you want to go far, go together.’”

The deal expands Kõu’s stable of micromobility companies, said the announcement, posted on Ampler’s blog.

In addition to Ampler’s e-bikes, Kõu includes Tuul, an electric scooter rental service, Äike, an electric scooter manufacturer, and Comodule, which provides software and internet of things (IoT) solutions for light electric vehicles, the announcement said.

As PYMNTS reported last year, micromobility businesses have swept across European cities in the past few years, fueled by demand for an alternative to the enclosed spaces like bus and metro networks during the pandemic.

However, as the sector grows, city authorities are increasingly differing in their licensing and broader safety requirements for these companies.

For example, a trio of micromobility companies — Lime, Dott and Tier — all upgraded their safety requirements following threats by the city of Paris not to not renew operating licenses next year due a lack of adequate safety measures.

“Key among them is age verification to access the pay-as-you-ride scooters, which up until this month did not require evidence and was based on self-declaration,” PYMNTS wrote in November. “Now, however, users have to scan a photo of their ID on the companies’ apps as part of measures to enforce the ban on minors’ ability to rent.”

The Netherlands, meanwhile, has so far proven less open to electric scooters, shunning Lime and Tier’s scooter schemes in favor of the pedal-powered eBikes offered by Dott, a company based in Amsterdam.

Lime, meanwhile, recently launched an offering in Qatar, announcing last month that its Gen4 bikes and scooters would be available to riders in Doha.

With the launch, Lime joins Tier and Bird in offering micromobility solutions in Doha as the sector heats up in the Middle East.

Tier is leading the field in terms of locations covered, PYMNTS wrote in January, with the company available in seven cities across the region, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh and Jeddah.

In addition to these international players, the Middle East is also home to a number of local micromobility startups, including Dubai’s Fenix as well as Hop-On, Dabeeb and Gazal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.