Dott was founded in 2018. Since then, the micromobility group has expanded to 18 cities across 7 countries (including France, Spain, Poland, Germany, the UK, Italy and Belgium), and now operates over 30,000 vehicles. It’s just been chosen as one of only three companies authorised to operate e-scooters in London. The trial will see up to 6,600 scooters in the UK capital
On this week’s Mobility Moments, we talk to Duncan Robertson, the UK General Manager of Dott micromobility, about the London roll-out plans and its commitment to safety.
What is your reaction to winning a tender to operate in London?
Incredibly excited! London is a huge win for us, and to be working alongside TfL (Transport for London), London Councils and the other operators, to bring micromobility to the city is amazing. This launch will mark Dott’s entry into the UK market – a huge milestone in itself for the company and something we’ve been waiting for, for a while.
What are the London and wider UK roll-out plans?
Currently our focus is 100% on London. Following the launch of our e-scooters in June, we will be launching our e-bikes later this summer, making London our first multimodal city in Europe – a prospect we are incredibly excited about. Watch this space!
How does Dott differentiate itself from similar services?
We differentiate ourselves from competitors through our brand ethos ‘The Dott way’. This stands for:
Responsible and Reliable Operations – We are known as the most transparent and accountable operator. From day one, we made the choice to take care of all operations in-house, from A to Z: the vehicles, technology, management, maintenance and control operations. This way, we can guarantee safety, quality and reliability – a model that most operators are now trying to emulate.
Social Responsibility – Carbon neutral on every ride: we throw away nothing, we recycle everything. We design our vehicles for shared use and build them to last. We know that electric micromobility is crucial to the fight against air pollution and global warming. From the very beginning, Dott has been dedicated to achieving carbon neutrality and has been carbon neutral since January 2019.
Accessible – Safe and affordable service for all. We’re driven by the vision to make micromobility accessible for all. That’s why Dott is rooted in the local ecosystem. We’ve developed multiple partnerships in each city so we can provide local and affordable rides for all walks of life, in every neighbourhood.
Collaboration – Working together to make cities more sustainable and accessible. Transparency, inclusion and collaboration are our things. We know how important these elements are to creating a supportive service that works for everyone. That’s why we will be working closely with TfL and local boroughs to help deliver the best service to all.
How are you working to provide a safe service for riders and pedestrians?
At Dott we commit to the ‘safest rides for everyone’ – and that’s for riders and non-riders alike – it’s completely non-negotiable for us. Some of our most impactful safety innovations include: clearly defined rider zones (slow / no-go zones) and designated parking bays, ID verification to confirm our riders have a valid driving licence and are over 18, plus highly visible turn signals and light controls.
We have also created a rider facing initiative called ‘Smooth Rider Club’ and interactive incentivised safety program where riders can earn points towards discounted rides for completing our online or on-location rider safety courses. Our online training available to all was created in partnership with the AA DriveTech, showing new riders the rules of the roads, messages which are also highlighted on our scooters and within the app onboarding education.
For the launch, dedicated Dott street patrol will be visible and on-hand to educate consumers face-to-face. We have also implemented scooter licence plates which enable us to identify individual riders. These unique plates make it easy for enforcement services and the public to report bad driving, theft or misplaced scooters.
For many there is a strong concern around cluttered pavements, and what that means for the visually impaired or disabled. We have combatted this issue with the implementation of our ‘smart parking’ feature which partners built-in GPS location technology with photo enforcement, to ensure vehicles are parked correctly in designated parking bays. Since making this change we have seen over 97% parking compliance amongst riders in Paris and other Dott cities (vs 35% one year ago). On the off-chance that a scooter is left outside of a parking zone, the rider will be fined with a relocation fee and a prompt will be sent to our street teams to pick up and repark the scooter in a safe location (within 3 hours).
By actively encouraging our riders to take responsibility for the safe use of our vehicles, we’re creating an environment of shared initiative and promoting responsible behaviour whenever riding with Dott.
What will urban mobility look like by 2030?
By 2030 we envision a cleaner, brighter future for London. Shared e-scooters and e-bikes offer a sustainable, safe and socially distant way to zip from A to B. London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, committed to reach the target of net-zero by 2030 – and we believe the convenience of micromobility will partner perfectly with the spatial reach of public transport, helping Londoners switch up their travel routines and reduce carbon emissions.
To support this goal Dott recently sponsored Center for London’s upcoming research to define the ‘gold standard’ for micromobility, investigating how and why e-scooters and e-bikes can lead the way to carbon neutrality.
There’s a long journey ahead of us but we believe the introduction of micromobility in the UK’s capital city will propel us towards cleaner air, carbon neutrality and, ultimately, a more sustainable future.
Keyword: A Commitment to The ‘Safest Rides For Everyone’ – Mobility Moments With Dott’s UK Boss Duncan Robertson