Bolt, the transportation service formerly known as Taxify, has launched an electric scooter-sharing system in Faro.
With a ‘fleet’ of 200 scooters, Bolt is hoping to achieve a level of success that the previous electric scooter operators failed to in the Algarve, having pulled out of the region after last summer (click here).
To use the system, you must download the Bolt app, create an account and choose a method of payment.
Cost is €1 to unlock the scooters and an extra 15 cents for every minute they are used, although you will never pay more than €19 a day no matter how long you use it for.
The scooters are limited to a maximum speed of 25km/h, although users can choose to set a “beginner” mode which sets a 15km/h limit.
David Ferreira e Silva, head of Bolt in Portugal, said in a statement that “Bolt aims to help people move around towns in easy and quick ways, and these electric scooters are an alternative to cars for short-distance travel”.
He explained that Bolt wants this service to be “a safe option and that is why we included speed control functionalities”.
Silva added that the company is working alongside Faro Council to encourage alternative means of transportation, such as these electric scooters, in order to move towards more sustainable means of transportation whilst also “improving circulation in the town and contributing towards decarbonisation.”
Faro is the first town in Portugal with an electric scooter-sharing network operated by Bolt.
It remains to be seen whether Bolt will last longer than the other companies that operated similar businesses in Faro.
Luís Guerreiro from Voi, told Lusa news agency in November that the decision to pull out was spurred by a “lack of profits” and the need to “strengthen other markets”.
Circ Portugal, the other company operating scooter networks both in Faro and Portimão, told Lusa that the scooters were removed for “maintenance reasons” and that they would be returning “soon”, although this has yet to happen.
